Funeral arrangements have been made for veteran FDNY EMT Alison Russo-Elling, who was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack in Queens on Thursday.
The wake for the 61-year-old first responder will be held Monday and Tuesday at the Commack Abbey Funeral Home in Commack, according to the Long Island funeral home’s website.
Russo-Elling’s funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at the Tilles Center, located at 720 Northern Boulevard in Brookville on the LIU Post campus. She will then be cremated in a private ceremony.
The 25-year FDNY veteran and 9/11 responder was on duty and had walked a half block from her unit to get something to eat when she was stabbed nearly 20 times near 20th Avenue and 41st Street in Astoria around 2:20 p.m. Thursday.
Suspect Peter Zisopoulos, 34, was shortly after the horrific attack after barricading himself inside his nearby apartment, cops said.
Russo-Elling was fatally stabbed in an unprovoked attack in Astoria Thursday afternoon.AP
He was charged Friday with murder and weapons possession.
According to police sources and disturbing video of the incident, Zisopoulos allegedly slammed Russo-Elling to the ground, mounted her and then repeatedly stabbed her.
A witness who’d been driving by on a scooter confronted the brute, but he snarled, “F–k you, f–k you!” before stepping away from the victim and charging at the man while still holding the bloodied knife, police sources said.
Zisopoulos fled the scene, leaving Russo-Elling unresponsive on the ground, according to sources and the video.
Local officials in Commack raised an American flag outside of the Commack Abbey funeral home for Russo-Elling.WAYNE CARRINGTON
Russo-Elling, described by her union as “the sweetest, kindest person you’ve ever met,” was only six or seven months away from retirement, Vincent Variale, president of Local 3621, told reporters outside the hospital where the paramedic succumbed to her injuries.
She joined the FDNY as an EMT in March 1998 and was promoted to a paramedic in 2002 before becoming a lieutenant in 2016.
A city Department of Correction inmate escaped from custody Tuesday morning and jumped into the East River and is now clinging to life, law-enforcement sources told The Post.
The unidentified inmate was unresponsive when he was rescued, sources said.
It’s not clear if the person escaped from Rikers Island or the Vernon C. Bain Center, the agency’s floating jail in The Bronx.
No further details were immediately available.
The unidentified inmate was unresponsive when he was rescued AFP via Getty Images
Deaths in DOC custody are up 40% so far this year compared to the same period in 2022, data show.
An 18-year-old motorcyclist’s leg was severed when his bike barreled down the wrong way of a street into an SUV in Brooklyn Saturday evening.
A passenger on the bike suffered a head injury in the accident, which happened just before 8:30 p.m. at Avenue C and McDonald Avenue the Kensington section, police said.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the motorcyclist was driving the wrong way on Avenue C when he slammed into the SUV, which was traveling north on McDonald, according to the NYPD.
The motorcycle was going the wrong way when the crash occurred. Paul Martinka
Two others suffered injuries including a head injury to the motorcycle passenger. Paul Martinka
Police respond to the scene of the crash in Brooklyn on Sept. 18, 2022. Paul Martinka
Once victim was rushed to a local hospital with severe injuries on Sept. 17, 2022. Paul Martinka
The two injured people were being treated at Bellevue Hospital.
Photos of the scene showed the victims being taken away in stretchers as a green-and-black motorcycle laid in the street while the elderly woman who was driving the SUV inspected her vehicle for damage.
Hell’s Kitchen is bugging out over spotted lanternflies.
Residents have formed a lethal strike force armed with a killer concoction of Dawn dish soap, water and vegetable oil to eradicate the six-legged invaders.
“They are either gonna get sprayed or stepped on,” vowed Gigi Stoll, a 60-year-old shutterbug and the badass leader of the “SLF Slaughter Squad,” a six-member crew which will hit the streets Wednesday morning for the first time and “kill as much as possible,” she said.
From then on, they’ll head out two or three times a week armed with the soapy concoction — which she said is kryptonite to the critters, killing them on contact.
Lori Grabowski, a TV and film script supervisor whose credits include “Black Panther” and, ironically, “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” plans to come strapped with a “squirt bottle of death sauce” and go “out on a killing spree.”
“Gigi made me realize that we don’t have to take this lying down,” Grabowski said.
The dreaded insect, which are not dangerous to pets or people, arrived in the Big Apple in July 2020 and is a “significant threat” to agriculture. The pest is native to China and Southeast Asia, bears black spots and gray wings, and dines on up to 100 plant species.
The group has been killing lanternflies with a concoction of Dawn dish soap, water and vegetable oil.Christopher Sadowski
“It’s kind of hard for me not to notice it when it’s in my building, on the walls. It was like a plague,” Stoll said of the invasion.
“It felt really strange to see so many of these things everywhere,” she added.
When the critters returned in full force this summer, Stoll, a Texas native, had enough, and put out a clarion call to her neighbors, who have groused online about the insects, which, like the homeless and drug-addled are “all over the sidewalks” — not to mention the “walls and inside of the buildings from the 40s from 11th Avenue to 12th Avenue.”
Stoll and her group go lanternfly hunting two to three times a week.Helayne Seidman
“They absolutely take over and swarm people. They are pretty bugs. But they are killing everything we care about — trees, the potted plants on my terrace,” said Jane Berliner, 62, a member of the SLF Slaughter Squad.
“Even the construction workers are stomping them on the streets,” she added.
Last week, Stoll and a sidekick made a dry run, patrolling the West 40s to the Javits Center. They left a “carnage of dead SLFs,” she boasted.
She hopes other neighborhoods follow suit and form their own kill squads.
Stoll hopes others take inspiration and squash the invasive species themselves.Helayne Seidman
“People and cars stopped us on the street [this week] and asked us how to make the mix and what to do because they were all suffering the same issue,” the terminatrix said.
She suggested wearing light-colored clothing, to make it easier to spot the winged pests when they land on you.
And make sure to wear high-top sneakers or solid-sole shoes — the better to crush the sap-suckers, she noted.
Stoll continued: “I consider myself a citizen naturalist. We have so much beautiful flora and fauna and we have something causing so much destruction. This is about community and coming together.”
A Westchester town highway worker who had his “dream job” was killed when a senior citizen behind the wheel of his car crashed into a project site Tuesday, officials said.
The Town of Yorktown is mourning the loss of Jake Arcara, a 28-year-old who was engaged to the love of his life, town Supervisor Matt Slater told The Post.
The accident occurred as highway employees were stationed at a drainage project in the upper Westchester community. The victim was struck by a vehicle and rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said.
The victim, Jake Arcara, was engaged to be married, the town’s supervisor said. Jake Anthony Arcara/Facebook
An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Slater said Arcara’s connection to the town ran deep. He graduated from a local high school and started working for the town in 2019.
“He was a longtime member of our community who found his dream job in the Yorktown highway department,” Slater said. “Had his whole life in front of him, engaged to a wonderful person.
“He was incredibly well-liked, he was well-liked in the highway department, incredible work ethic, incredible attitude and had his whole life in front of him. It’s just surreal that we’re going through this.”
An investigation into the crash is ongoing. Town of Yorktown/Facebook
Slater, the town’s police chief and highway chief all broke the news to Arcara’s mother about her son’s death. He then contacted a neighboring town’s supervisor to track down his fiancée who is employed there “because she was about to have the worst day of her life,” Slater said solemnly.
Slater noted the senior citizen who allegedly caused the accident is also a longtime community member.
“The reality is this was a genuine tragedy,” Slater said.
To the naked eye, the clear trend on the runways at New York Fashion Week was nearly no clothes at all.
Nudity and varying levels of nakedness seemed to reign supreme for the Spring 2023 season at NYFW, which ended on Wednesday. Several labels put out barely-there creations, like Prabal Gurung who sent Vice President Kamala Harris’ model stepdaughter Ella Emhoff out in a shocking sheer green curtain-like garment tied around her neck which exposed her bare breasts.
Collina Strada boldly freed the nipple, with a floral design constructed of wires and airbrushed areola that attached to a long pink chiffon dress. “Girls” star Jemima Kirke also walked the runway with a bikini top made out of flowers, with the nipple area conveniently punched out.
Julia Fox wore a similarly experimental “dripping wet” outfit designed by a Parsons MFA student designer, Weiran, who saved even more risque designs for the runway.
Collina Strada sent out a dress held up by nipple wire.Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
Julia Fox wore a design by Weiran, to the Parsons MFA Student Show. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
Jemima Kirke let some nip slip at Collina Strada. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
A closer look at the Collina Strada wire design. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
Emhoff is the daughter of U.S. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Patrick McMullan via Getty Image
At Puppets & Puppets, one model was mere millimeters from a wardrobe malfunction with makeshift butterfly pasties while Bella Hadid was a cough away from a similar fate for Fendi, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Baguette handbag.
At Sergio Hudson and Mowalola, nip slips were part of the program, as several models purposefully bared flesh.
A model walks the runway during the Tom Ford Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2023 show as part of the New York Fashion Week on September 14.Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesBella Hadid in Fendi’s show, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Baguette bag.WireImage
Puppets & Puppets used butterflies as pasties. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
Hadid was dangerously close to a malfunction. Getty Images
Puppets & Puppets showed more in other outfits. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
One model covered her exposed skin at Sergio Hudson.Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
LaQuan Smith showed a black bodysuit with cutouts and a thin string covering a model’s nipples while other looks from the designer beloved by Beyonce and Rihanna weren’t so subtle, with completely sheer fabric and nary a bra in sight. Jason Wu also championed see-through, a trend certainly in the zeitgeist already thanks to Florence Pugh’s heavily-debated Valentino dress.
Even Tory Burch, normally one for sophisticated sportswear, let the nip slip, sending models Vittoria Ceretti and Emily Ratajkowski in extraordinarily sheer knits and brassieres. All of these body-baring looks will undoubtedly have stylists for pop stars, Kardashians and other look-at-me peacocks clamoring to wear and bare.
This LaQuan Smith was hanging on by a thread.Getty Images for NYFW: The ShowsJason Wu’s bold and boob-iful blue.Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
While bras were largely ditched on the runway, plenty of street style stars and spectators skipped shirts altogether, donning just their bras at shows for shock and awe.
But beyond good ole fashioned skin, it’s tough to rally together trends in the era of TikTok where anything goes as long as it goes viral.
One immediate trend emerged — much to the nightmare of New Yorkers’ preferred head-to-toe black — and color is definitely back and bolder than ever, here to wipe away all muted tones from pandemic-era athleisure. The safe-for-work trend was omnipresent, as predicted by Pantone. Bright orange was a common thread, seen at Altuzarra, Supim,a Monse, Dion Lee, Naeem Khan, and more.
Marni showed blood red during the Italian brand’s NYFW debut, purple at LaQuan Smith, bold shades of blue at Michael Kors, electric yellow and green at Proenza Schouler, which celebrated its 20th year, and Maisie Wilen, with lime green in a collection — and appearance from Emhoff — meant to showcase the art of the green screen. Telfar was a rainbow of perfection, ad even sold an array of color Bushwick Birkin bags at a Brooklyn Rainbow store. This fad has been bubbling for a while, so those hoping to test out the rainbow can ease into color now before it really takes off come spring. Pantone summed it up as “individual expression,” so just pick a color, any color — but preferably neon — and rock it.
Orange at Altuzarra.Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
It’s also safe to say nostalgia for turn-of-the-millennium milieu isn’t going anywhere either, judging by Fendi’s furry hats, not unlike Pamela Anderson’s 1999 VMAs hat, jelly sandals worn by Lil Nas X at Coach and flared trousers with slits from Brandon Maxwell. Cargo pants, already making their way into fast fashion, were aplenty, with Dion Lee, Tibi, Fendi, Collina Strada and more channeling their best early aughts fashions. It’s Y2K all over again, without the hysteria.
Also, sending sincerest regards to fellow fashionistas still suffering PTSD from low-rise but the cut really is back, seen at Prabal Gurung, Tom Ford, Puppets & Puppets, Fendi and too many more to name. The same goes for baring the navel in general, center stage at LaQuan Smith, Coach and the star-studded Vogue World show, which featured a multitude of brands and famous models like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. This generation seems to have skipped belly button piercings, thankfully.
Low-rise jeans with exposed panties at Collina Strada.Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
That’s not to say elegance is dead, though. Sergio Hudson had it in spades, Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera put out a garden-inspired party full of fancy frocks, Michael Kors went for 1970s-inspired tailoring, Tom Ford showed “Dynasty”-esque sequin gowns and Serena Williams shined bright in a silver metallic Balenciaga dress at Vogue World. Christian Siriano and Pamella Roland could always be counted on for glam, as can New York high society’s go-to courtier Zang Toi, who went full haute couture with a modern black and white ball. After years of dressing down, glamour is in demand.
And yes, expect some florals for spring. Carolina Herrera, Ulla Johnson and Brandon Maxwell are doing it and doing it well. Malaysian-born Toi dazzled with a showstopping silk gazar mini dress that included a hand-pinned arrangement of white silk peonies and butterflies covered in an intricate cloud of tulle, fashioned into a bolero. Now that’s groundbreaking.
Zang Toi showed a spectacular cloud of tulle with white silk peonies inside.Paulina Vela
For design buffs hoping to see real risks taken in form and fabric worth talking about, the Concept Korea show should not be overlooked. K-fashion labels like BESFXXK, Cahiers and ULKIN should be credited for inspiring structural designs and taken seriously as players in the landscape — much more than say Tommy Hilfiger whose homage to Andy Warhol’s iconic Factory, a counterculture mecca of originality in the 1960s, somehow translated to Hilfiger’s tired stripe motif and preppy letterman jackets as well as, most puzzlingly, one-third of a Blink 182 performance.
Bob Colacello walks the runway at the “Tommy Factory.” Getty Images
Tommy Hilfiger showed his stripes. AFP via Getty Images
Warhol Superstar Donna Jordan made an appearance. Getty Images
Tommy Hilfiger recreated Warhol’s Factory for the rainy show. AFP via Getty Images
Only the tin foil, Silver Cloud recreations and faces on the runway — Warhol Superstar Donna Jordan and Bob Colacello, longtime editor of Warhol’s Interview mag — were remotely Warholian in his highly-anticipated return to NYFW on Monday. No wonder it rained.
If New York felt dizzying or uninspiring, it’s a long fashion month with London, Milan and Paris to look forward to.
Get those umbrellas and rainboots ready for the morning commute.
Areas of the New York metro region are under a flash flood warnings as storms creep into the northeast and showers are expected to continue throughout the day.
Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, along with parts of New Jersey and Long Island, have already experienced 2 inches of rain overnight, with 1 to 2 more inches expected in the next several hours.
Winds are currently fluctuating between 10 to 15 mph out of Kennedy and LaGuardia airports and are expected to stay that way until the early afternoon.
By the late evening, the storm will have left the area, and winds are expected to die down.
Other areas in and near the metropolitan area may be put under weather advisories in the coming hours as the storm approaches.
A tornado watch for Kings County previously made early has been canceled.
The storm began affecting the areas Tuesday morning, and humidity is said to drop by Wednesday afternoon.
From Wednesday through the rest of the week, it is reported to be clear skies and sunny, with temperatures reaching the mid-70s to low 80s.
Sen. Chuck Schumer said Sunday that he will push Congress for a $3 billion infusion of federal cash to rescue the financially troubled 9/11 health-care fund.
The New York Democrat and Senate majority leader said he will seek to secure the funds in the federal budget to offset the expected shortfall in the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides medical care and services for first responders and others affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
“We have seen the toll a funding crisis takes on our 9/11 heroes and those made sick by the despicable attack on New York 21 years ago,” Schumer said, speaking surrounded by terror-attack survivors and advocates.
“So I am here, joined in support by so many friends and selfless advocates, to say that we must address the World Trade Center Health Program funding issue as soon as possible.”
He vowed to “make a push” to get the funding approved this year.
John Feal, a longtime and vocal advocate of 9/11 first responders, said he was determined to have the measure approved — despite any political opposition that could surface.
The New York Democrat and Senate majority leader said he will seek to secure the funds in the federal budget to offset the expected shortfall in the World Trade Center Health Program.Matthew McDermott
“I have zero tolerance for elected officials to get in our way,” Feal said. “I’ve left a trail of bodies of elected officials who get in our way.
“We can’t help those who died on 9/11, but we can help those who are sick,” he added. “We can help those by getting the $3 billion back in the World Trade Center Health Program.”
Schumer said he will request that the full amount be included in the budget.
The WTC health program, administered under the oversight of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides free medical treatment and monitoring for health-related issues linked to the 9/11 attacks. Matthew McDermott
“Yes,” he said. “[The] full $3 billion.”
The announcement comes on the 21st anniversary of the attacks that downed the Twin Towers and damaged the Pentagon, killing several thousand Americans.
Congress has been working to come up with the funds to rescue the program.
The WTC health program, administered under the oversight of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides free medical treatment and monitoring for health-related issues linked to the 9/11 attacks.
The attack killed 2,996 people, while more than 3,300 also dying from health-related issues. Matthew McDermott
On the 20th anniversary of the attacks last year, the Department of Justice acknowledged that more people — both first-responders and those who live ad work in Lower Manhattan — had died from health-related illness at Ground Zero than from the actual terror attack.
The attack killed 2,996 people, while more than 3,300 also dying from health-related issues.
A Brooklyn food delivery driver barely escaped serious injury Saturday when his e-bike suddenly burst into flames while he was riding on a sidewalk, eyewitnesses said.
Abdel Musleh captured the action in front of his Sunset Park home on video with a ring camera and posted it on Reddit.
It showed one of his neighbors, who delivers food for a living, riding off on his e-bike to work illegally along the sidewalk from a few doors down — but then stopping abruptly seconds later in front of Musleh’s home after the bike caught fire.
The man appeared in shock, barely getting away before mini-balls of fire carrying tiny pieces of the bike shot out in a series of bursts that made loud popping sounds.
E-bike batteries have been linked to at least five deaths in the city this year.Reddit/Revick
Several cars driving down 44th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues had near misses as the flaming shards flew past.
The incident comes amid a growing debate over the safety of e-bikes. Their batteries, which burn fast and hot, have been linked to at least five deaths in the city this year, including 5-year-old Erica Williams, who died last month when her father’s bike caught fire while they were sleeping inside NYCHA’s Jackie Robinson Houses in Harlem.
Several cars driving had near misses as the flaming shards flew past.Reddit/Revick
“These e-bikes are dangerous — especially the cheap ones,” said Musleh. “These [food-delivery] guys helped keep the city running during the pandemic, but we need stronger guidelines of what types of bikes should be on the street to make sure things like this do not happen.”
Musleh said his neighbor appeared injured and walked away limping after escaping the fire, but returned with two gallons of water a few minutes later to put it out. The bike, however, was still smoldering until the Fire Department arrived soon after and hosed it down with water, he said.
Bed Bath & Beyond executive Gustavo Arnal’s deadly leap from his swanky Tribeca high-rise apartment was officially ruled a suicide by the city’s medical examiner Monday.
Arnal, who was CFO of the company before his death, jumped off the 18th story of the luxurious “Jenga Building” Friday afternoon as the retail company dealt with financial troubles and he faced accusations connected to a $1.2 billion “pump-and-dump” stock fraud lawsuit filed last month.
The medical examiner’s office ruled Arnal died from multiple blunt trauma.
The 52-year-old committed suicide while his wife was inside their apartment and he didn’t leave a note explaining the fatal plunge, law enforcement sources have told The Post.
Arnal joined Bed Bath & Beyond in May 2020. The company in a statement Sunday credited the “distinguished global” exec of getting them through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Gustavo will be remembered by all he worked with for his leadership, talent and stewardship of our Company,” said board of directors chairman Harriet Edelman in a statement. “… Our focus is on supporting his family and his team and our thoughts are with them during this sad and difficult time.”
Gustavo Arnal, who took his own life early this week, pictured with his family.Facebook/Gustavo ArnalArnal is accused of “pump-and-dump” stock scheme. Bed, Bath & Beyond did not comment on the matter.Robert Miller
Days before his death, the retail giant announced it was going to shutter 150 stores and slash 20% of its workforce.
Arnal, who previously worked at Avon, Walgreen Boots Alliance and Procter & Gamble, was part of an Aug. 23 lawsuit that accused him and others of artificially inflating Bed Bath & Beyond’s share price.
The company told The Post in a statement Sunday, “We will not comment on litigation and ask that you please respect Mr. Arnal’s family and their privacy at this time.”
Arnal jumped to his death at 56 Leonard St. in Tribeca last week. NYC medical examiner has ruled out foul play.Robert Miller
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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