25-44 82nd Street
Feb. 17, 2016 By Christian Murray
A police officer from the 115th Precinct was praised by her precinct commander Tuesday for her role in rescuing nearly 70 animals from a Jackson Heights home three weeks ago.
The precinct received an anonymous tip on Jan. 28 that animals were being abused inside a house located at 25-44 82nd Street, according to Deputy Inspector Brian Hennessy, Commanding Officer of the 115th Precinct.
Hennessy said that when Police Officer Lorraine Vultaggio arrived on the scene, she noticed that there were several dogs, cats and turtles inside the premises.
Vultaggio and the ASPCA were able to get a warrant to search the premises and they were able to rescue 12 dogs, 55 cats and 2 turtles from the premises.
Hennessy, who was pleased the animals had been saved, said that the district attorney’s office did not press charges.
Meanwhile, Angela Kostalos, a school crossing guard, was handed an award by Hennessy for coming to the aid of a 10-year-old girl who was being followed by a man along 81st Street on Jan. 29 at about 7:40 am.
When the girl started yelling for help, Kostalos shielded her and confronted the perpetrator, causing the man to flee. The perpetrator, Jaminton Carela, 29, was later arrested.
Hennessy reported that crime in the precinct was up 2 percent for the 28-day period ending Feb. 14, compared to the same 28-day period in 2015.
There was a significant jump in the number of robberies reported. For the 28-day period ending Feb. 14 there were 29 robberies, compared to 16 for the same period in 2015.
Hennessy said that the majority of the robberies took place between Junction Boulevard and 108th Street (between Roosevelt Avenue and Northern Blvd).
Police Officer Lorraine Vultaggio (center)
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