MAR '11 - The Nyack Villager

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Remember the days? by James F. Leiner Bullets fly on Elysian Avenue It was around two on a chilly March afternoon in 1967 when a young woman walking up Prospect Street towards Elysian Avenue heard loud voices arguing. She looked up and could see a man in gray slacks and a beige sport coat standing on the front porch roof of the house at the top of the block. He was gesturing and yelling at a group of men standing in front of the house next door. Others in the neighborhood heard the yelling, some looked out their windows, but most ignored the outbursts; they were common in the neighborhood where Baker Zada and his family lived. A young man a few houses up the block heard the arguing getting louder, and went outside to see what was going on. He was standing in the street watching when, all of a sudden, Baker Zada grabbed a rifle from inside his house. He turned and fired the rifle at the group of men. His neighbor, Howard Cummings and his lawyer, Orangetown Justice George “Juni” Writer Jr., ran for Howard’s house. A shot ripped through the front door shattering glass and cutting Writer as a bullet passed through his fedora. e other two men, Werner Loeb, Zada’s attorney, and local land-surveyor Fred Kay, ducked down behind their cars as more shots were directed at them. Twenty-four year old South Nyack Policeman Harry Nolan was patrolling in the area and heard the rifle shots. He drove up Prospect. Parking his cruiser, he ran towards the Zada house; he didn’t get very far. e young man across the street heard another shot. It ripped into Nolan’s right shoulder. Wounded, and bleeding profusely he got back to his patrol car and radioed for help. In what seemed like only seconds Nyack Police veteran Peter Gentile arrived and headed for the front door of the Zada house. Within a few short minutes, Gentile emerged with Zada in handcuffs. Patrolman Nolan was rushed to Nyack Hospital where he underwent surgery to remove the 30 caliber bullet from his shoulder. ankfully, Officer Nolan is the only South Nyack Police Officer ever shot in the line of duty. Justice Writer was treated for cuts on his nose from the flying glass. Later that evening Officer Gentile was taken to Nyack Hospital with chest pains he suffered at the Nyack lock-up. It was a stressful day for all involved. I’m not sure anybody ever understood Baker Zada’s reaction to the meeting that was called to discuss a long standing boundary dispute with his neighbor Cummings. Neighbors said the dispute has been going on for a long time and there was a previous “big-fight” over the disputed boundary line that reportedly involved less than a few feet of property. Zada was later convicted of assault, and spent some time in the county jail. Tragically as time went on, the shots on Elysian Avenue started the crime spree of the most notorious crime family in the history of the Nyack area. e shooting on Elysian Avenue was not the last run-in with the law for Baker Zada. On December 11, 1969, while on parole for the shooting of Officer Nolan, Zada assaulted Rockland County parole officer Joseph Barnwell when Barnwell sought information about an allegation of sexual molestation. Zada grabbed a pancake skillet and started flailing it at Barnwell and Nyack Police Officer Timothy O’Shea who accompanied him. In 1973, the oldest son of Baker and Bahrieh Zada, Samir Zada, was convicted for the murders of Monsey dance instructor Jerry Stout and Congers plumber Christian Gunther. eir middle son, Nazar Zada, was arrested in 1977 for promoting prostitution using runaway Rockland teenager girls in a Queens prostitution operation. He was also convicted for weapons possession later that year. Nazar died a few years ago when a heroin bag he was smuggling into his brother exploded in his intestines. Not to be outdone, the youngest son, Amer Zada, was arrested and convicted in the brutal murder and sex slaying of seventeen year old Nyack resident, Shirley Smith, on June 15, 1979. Both Samir and Amer are still in prison in upstate New York. ey both have been denied parole on several occasions. eir parents, Baker and Bahrieh Zada never became US citizens. In his book Murder Along the Way, former Rockland District Attorney Ken Gribetz, devoted an entire chapter to the crimes of the Zada family. Titled, e Family that Preys Together, it is a detailed account of the crimes that I have outlined here. I find it ironic that Elysian Avenue, a name derived from Greek mythology (Elysian Fields)—the final peaceful resting place of the blessed chosen by the gods, was the beginning of a crime spree unlike any other in the history of our area. The Nyack Villager thanks Jim Leiner for helping us all ‘Remember the Days.’ ✫ 8 The Nyack Villager March, 2011
Under exposed by Shel Haber Consider Martius Jan, my wife and the editor of e Nyack Villager, was born in March. So was my mother, my brother and my son-inlaw—as was Albert Einstein, Robert Frost, Harriet Tubman, Houdini and Dr. Seuss. e rubber band was invented in March, 1845 and the pencil with eraser was patented in March 1858—two of the most useful things ever made. So we should show a lot of respect for March. e name March dates from ancient Rome; it was called Martius after Mars, the Roman god of war. March was the first month of Spring, so it was considered a logical time for the beginning of the year. Also March was the first month with good weather so the Romans considered it a logical time to start a war. Many memorable events occurred in March. e Great Blizzard of 1888, one of the worst snowstorms in United States history, happened between March 11 and 14. Snowfalls of 50” were recorded in the Northeast. Railroads were paralyzed and telegraph lines were disabled, isolating cities from Boston to Washington, DC for days. e good news: after the storm, NY City began burying its wires to prevent their destruction. March 15, e Ides of March, is the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar by Brutus, Cassius, Casca and many other well-thought-of Romans. Also on March 15, March Madness begins, the national Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament, beloved by presidents and ticket scalpers alike. For weeks it is the nation's most talked-about, mostwatched TV event. March 17, 1901: creating a sensation, seventy-one paintings by Vincent van Gogh are shown in Paris—eleven years after the artist’s death. March 17, 1780 (St. Patrick’s Day): George Washington grants the Continental Army a holiday as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence. March 20-21 is the Spring Equinox, when night & day are approximately the same length. Not so well known are other actual celebrations: National Crab Meat Day on March 9, not to be confused with National Clams-on-the-Half-Shell Day, on March 31. Also on March 31 is the Birthday of René Descartes, father of modern philosophy, celebrated as, I ink erefore I Am Day. Shel Haber, a stage, film and television art director, is co-publisher of e Nyack Villager. ✫ The Nyack Villager March, 2011 9
Page 1 and 2: TheNyack Villager ® An independent
Page 3 and 4: In this issue Departments 3 REPORTE
Page 5 and 6: An open community forum Letters to
Page 7: photo courtesy Rockland Center For
Page 11 and 12: Amazing Grace Youth Circus • Circ
Page 13 and 14: Events start on page 10 Events in m
Page 15 and 16: Service credits when you knit scarv
Page 17 and 18: Food, Glorious Food by J.R. Tillots
Page 19 and 20: y Donna Cox Many buyers have been s
Page 21 and 22: the Nyack villager Founded in 1994,
Page 23: COMMUNITY NOTES start on page 16 AT

MAR '11 - The Nyack Villager

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?