Rob Hoell

Recent Articles

  • SantaCon 2018 takes over Manhattan

    NEW YORK — SantaCon is back in action in New York City, with flocks of Santa’s and elves embarking on the festive bar crawl. Festivities begin at Plaza 33 along West 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue at 10 a.m. and locations for this year’s event will be concentrated in midtown and the East Village. “Everyone is in a great mood,” said participant Lexie, who was dressed up as Rudolph. “Everyone loves Christmas.” SantaCon is a charitable, non-commercial convention that happens once […]

  • NYC Marathon guide: Street closures and heightened security

    NEW YORK — Excitement and preparations continue for the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday. “I’m so excited, I was supposed to run last year but had to defer because of an injury,” Dave Alport of Glen Rock, New Jersey said. The marathon sponsored by TCS is on for the most famous and largest races in the world that attracts runners from all over the globe. “One third of the field is international.” Peter Ciaccia said, the race director […]

  • NYPD deploys teams to NYC synagogues following Pittsburgh shooting

    NEW YORK — The NYPD is deploying officers to synagogues and Jewish communities following the attack at Pittsburgh Saturday morning. NYC Chief of Department Terence Monahan said officers equipped with heavy weapons had been sent to houses of worship. “In addition, NYPD officers in every precinct throughout the city are visiting sensitive locations to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers,” said Monahan, who joined Mayor Bill de Blasio and other officials at a Manhattan synagogue. “We will be having […]

  • 1 dead after small plane crashes into water off Long Island coast, authorities say

    QUOGUE, N.Y. — A small private plane carrying three people crashed into the ocean off the coast of Long Island on Saturday, officials said. One body was recovered following the 11 a.m. crash of a twin-engine Piper PA-34 about a mile off of Quogue, in the Hamptons. Agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard, the New York Air National Guard and the Suffolk County sheriff’s office responded to the crash. “It’s still a search and recovery at this point,” Quogue Village […]

  • Father found dead days after 1-year-old died, toddler’s twin brother was critically injured in Queens: report

    QUEENS — Days after a 1-year-old girl died and her twin brother was hospitalized in critical condition, their father was found dead after a suspected suicide, according to published reports. Mohammad Torabi is the estranged husband of Tina Torabi, the mother of the twins who has been charged with the boy’s injuries, the New York Times reports. He was found dead on the balcony of a hotel on East 57th Street Saturday, and is believed to have died at least […]

  • Police arrest man accused of raping woman in Freeport

    FREEPORT, N.Y. — Police have arrested the man accused of raping a woman who was walking home on Long Island last month. Ever L. Martinez Reyes, 24, was taken into custody and faces rape, sexual abuse and assault charges after he allegedly attacked and raped a woman steps away from her Freeport home on Sept. 28. The 36-year-old mother of two was approached from behind and knocked unconscious around 1:30 a.m., according to police. The woman woke up and realized she was […]

  • Long Island couple to be knighted by Pope Francis

    WANTAGH, NY — A Long Island couple is about to make history—they are going be knighted together by the Vatican state. “I’m thrilled and humbled that Pope Francis has recognized the work that I have done behind the scenes for all these years,” Meredith Krupp said. She and her husband, Gary Krupp, are no strangers to Pope Francis and religious leaders around the world. They will be the first husband and wife to be knighted since the inception of the […]

  • Alleged Long Island con man strikes again

    ROSLYN ESTATES, N.Y. — A con man on Long Island is at it again, his latest victim is a Rosyln Estates homeowner. Doris Aptekar paid a contractor $4,700 to redo her kitchen but she was left with the wrong countertop. Before the kitchen was even finished, the contractor disappeared. The story sounded familiar to her banker who pointed out her contractor,  Konstantine Sousouris, was the subject of PIX11’s ‘What a Shame’ story last July Sousouris was arrested and faced numerous […]

  • World Trade Center transit hub transformed in time for 9/11 anniversary

    MANHATTAN — The Cortlandt Street station at the World Trade Center re-opened on Saturday—three days before the 17th  9/11. “It took long but a its beautiful,” said Nina Doumbia, a commuter who relies on mass transit to get to and from work. Doumbia says she remembers the days after the 9/11 terror attacks and how it destroyed the Cortlandt Street station. She says she feels Saturday’s reopening is the final piece to the rebuilding efforts that has spanned 17 years. “This […]

  • NYPD sergeant fired following off-duty shooting of Brooklyn man

    EAST NEW YORK, Brooklyn — An NYPD sergeant who shot a man in the face while off-duty was fired Friday, sources told PIX11. NYPD Sergeant Ritchard Blake shot 21-year-old Thavone Santana in the mouth on August 2, near the intersection of New Jersey Avenue and Livonia Avenue, police said. Blake initially claimed Santana attempted to rob him. Police later clarified that the incident was, in fact,  not an attempted robbery, but a dispute and immediately placed the officer on modified […]