Queens Serial Groper Fails to Show for Sentencing, Faces New Charges

A Rockaway Park man was criminally charged with a slew of crimes after an arsenal of more than 30 firearms, including ghost guns and assault weapons, was uncovered along with thousands of rounds of ammunition and other weapons-related paraphernalia were seized during a raid at his home on Beach 117th Street on Wednesday.

Ryszard Materna, 51, was arraigned Thursday before Queens Criminal Court Judge Germaine Auguste on a 281-count complaint after a long-term investigation into his purchase of polymer-based firearm components that can easily be assembled into operable weapons, known as ghost guns.

Apr. 19, 2024 By Gabriele Holtermann

On Wednesday, the Starbucks on Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica was abuzz as community members mingled with NYPD officers at a “Coffee with a Cop” event to share their concerns and connect with New York’s Finest over a complimentary cup of java and food prepared and donated by Starbucks team members. 

Apr. 19, 2024 By Athena Dawson

Stacy Bliagos, executive director of HANAC, an Astoria-based Hellenic non-profit organization, spoke exclusively to QNS about the organization’s dedication to helping Queens’ most vulnerable residents. 

Apr. 19, 2024 By Czarinna Andres

The Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in Astoria has announced the launch of “Open Worlds,” a groundbreaking initiative to transform the museum into one of the largest free community hubs in western Queens.

Police from two Queens NYPD precincts are looking for an armed robber who targeted 7-Eleven stores in three different neighborhoods in just over an hour during the early morning of Wednesday, Apr. 17.

Police from the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park reported that the first heist went down just before 2:25 a.m. at the 7-Eleven located at 112-11 Liberty Ave. in South Richmond Hill. The perpetrator allegedly pulled out a handgun and demanded money from the 23-year-old man behind the counter, who complied, handing over $400 in cash from the register, police said.

Apr. 19, 2024 By Ethan Marshall

The owners of a Long Island City condominium building reached a $119,000 settlement with their service workers earlier this month after failing to pay them prevailing wages, which they are required to do as part of an agreement to get a lucrative 421-a tax break.

A 22-year-old Jamaica Estates man was beaten and robbed in broad daylight three blocks west of Cunningham Park on Saturday, and police from the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows are looking for the suspects who attacked him with a baseball bat.

The incident occurred just after 7 p.m., as the victim was walking home in the vicinity of 189th Street and Aberdeen Avenue when he was set upon by the two assailants who struck him in the face and head with the baseball bat, police said. They forcibly removed his cell phone and fled in a black Pontiac Grand Am, heading northbound on 109th Street toward Union Turnpike.

Apr. 19, 2024 By Iryna Shkurhan

Queens World Film Festival brought together dozens of featured filmmakers for a warm, welcoming night to kick off its 13th season. 

Apr. 19, 2024 By Anthony Medina

The St. Matthias Catholic Academy, a faith-based educational institution that has been serving families in Ridgewood and the surrounding neighborhoods for 114 years, is slated to close, and its supporters are looking for a miracle to keep it open.

Around fifty restaurant and small business owners from Corona, Jackson Heights, and East Elmhurst signed a letter asking state Senator Jessica Ramos to support the $8 billion Metropolitan Park proposal from New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International to build a casino and entertainment complex on the parking lot adjacent to Citi Field.

Jessica Rico, the owner of Mojitos Restaurant & Bar in Jackson Heights, hand-delivered the letter to a Ramos staffer while the Senator was in Albany on April 19.