By COLlive staff
Crown Heights Hatzalah volunteers were shocked Monday night, when they received tickets for parking their cars on Eastern Parkway while running to an emergency call in the neighborhood.
The police cars are marked NYC Sheriff and Road Patrol, witnesses said, and the officers driving them drove the wrong way on Eastern Parkway to 770 just to ticket the volunteers as they rushed from their cars to the parked Hatzalah ambulances to respond to one of the numerous medical emergency calls in the neighborhood.
Crown Heights is currently in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak, with hundreds of residents ill with the virus, many needing emergency medical attention. Hatzalah of Crown Heights has been inundated with emergency calls, and have been on the front line of saving lives and assisting the ill members of the community.
On Thursday, 71 Precinct Detective Vinny Martinos warned residents that there would be “no tolerating of large gatherings” in the neighborhood, and that Marshalls would be patrolling and would be making arrests.
“This is shocking,” a resident told COLlive. “The Marshalls should be here to ensure that residents do not congregate, but not to give tickets to medical personnel during this critical time.”
“Where is the outcry? This calls for an immediate investigation by the NYC Mayor, commissioner and by the POTUS,” another one wrote on social media.
Their excuse is going to be: it’s a very hard time right now for us financially, we need all the money that we can get…
Also a very big lie !!!
Seriously?! What is wrong with people?
How low can you go? Tell DeBlasio he can keep his extra officers at home in these times.
How does someone park on Eastern Parkway if they are running to a call. Also were there lights flashing?
Apparently you dont live in ch, hatzolah members always park there when they grab the ambulance, and lots of times dont leave their lights flashing as not to drain the cars battery.
If an ambulance is needed, they take their own car to where the ambulance is parked, park their car (with VAS license plates and a EMT placard on the dashboard) there, and jump into the ambulance, which has everything they’ll need to keep the person alive hopefully until they get to the hospital.
This is beyond sick… why was the sherrif even there?????
Ch streets are EMPTY
When ppl call the police because of minyanim etc. (Which are 100%wrong to make at this time) they dont discriminate and everyone suffers.
The newyork driver manual clearly states that emergency vehicles are allowed to drive the wrong way on a one way street
WRONG. Emergency vehicles are permitted to violate street regulations ONLY when operating on an emergency. Giving out a ticket is NOT an emergency! (Courts have extended this to fire engines and ambulances “returning” to their home base, but only because they need to be ready for the next emergency.)
“You must yield the right-of-way to fire, ambulance, police and other authorized emergency vehicles WHEN THEY RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES.” New York State, Department of Motor Vehicles, Driver’s Manual, p. 34 (emphasis added). See also, NYS motor vehicle law.
Correct the Sheriff & Road Patrol Vehicles are on the wrong way on Eastern Parkway to give a ticket, which giving a ticket is Not a emergency, Especially its Not a emergency to give a ticket to a EMT or Paramedic on a Emergency Call likely in middle of saving someones life during this Corona Epidemic.
You guys haven’t got a clue 🤷♀️ As long as the sheriff got them off the streets to stop the spread I’m happy. Follow the law & they wouldn’t have to be there.
Not condoning the idiots that keep gathering but we are our own worst enemy. This is what happens when you call the city on your own the dont care to tell ppl apart and will punish everyone, you keep your social distancing if others dont dont be holier then thao in other parts of Brooklyn other religions are gathering they just dont tell on one another
What part of LARGE GATHERINGS INCREASE THE SPREAD OF THIS VIRUS don’t you understand? If you want to set up a large minyan or a l’chaim, expect to be reported. The Rabbonim have assured these gatherings and warned everyone to follow the law. If you don’t you deserve to be reported. I don’t want to get sick because you are infected but touch all manner of things that others have to touch (eg a worker in a grocery store.) Yes, it is transmitted that easily. As for this ticketing: rip them up. And consider maybe not attending to these pillars… Read more »
Technically he’s not parked outside 770,
He’s parked outside 788.
Which makes the ticket invalid, since there’s a mistake on it…
Those low lifes knew exactly what they were doing and were laughing while writing tickets, they should be fired immediately
They are outright jew haters.
Comments like yours don’t help, they only fuel distrust and ignorance.
It is possible the Sheriff Dept. doesn’t have the same understanding of why people rather call Hatzalah services instead of 911. And perhaps they are not informed why all the volunteers are needed. They are not from the 71st Precinct and are doing their jobs.
I’m sure the tickets will be dismissed once the volunteers respond to them.
Hatzalah has an emergency vehicle license plate
Chutzpah a massive Chutzpah!
Unbelievable!
That area is a Designed Parking area for Emergency EMT Vehicles, There are several Street Signs on the side of the street for about one forth of the block stating that, In that alone the tickets should immediately be dismissed
I want to know what happens
Perhaps that any NYC Sheriff Officers and Road Patrol Officers that are assigned in the NYPD 71st Precinct area, before Driving the Streets they should all get a quick 5 minutes rundown and explanation of the area etc by 71st Precinct Detective Vinny Martinos (he is amazing and goes above and beyond to help everyone in this community)
If this happens if will Avoid all future problems like this and other problems that may happen,
I would suggest that the 77th Precinct do this as well.
Contact his office- he’s the only one that gets anything done. He will help.
Let’s work with the possibility that this was just a misunderstanding, that they thought these were some regular cars before trying to turn this into some big conspiracy that they are just out to get us