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FDNY makes first lithium-ion battery arrest at Downtown Brooklyn bike shop
FDNY makes first lithium-ion battery arrest at Downtown Brooklyn bike shop

Apr. 16, 2024 By Dean Moses & Brooklyn Paper staff

A Brooklyn merchant wound up in fire marshals’ handcuffs for improper storage of highly-flammable lithium-ion batteries inside his business — the first arrest of its kind ever reported in New York City, FDNY officials announced Monday.

Tian Liang Liu, of the Electric Bicycle Shop at 1239 Flatbush Ave., was taken into custody on April 12 in a rare criminal action by the FDNY. Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh outlined the details of the arrest during a Monday press conference at the FDNY’s MetroTech headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn.

“The FDNY E-safety task force made up of the Bureau of Fire prevention, our Special Investigations Unit, and Fire Investigations conducted an inspection,” Kavanagh explained. “Fire marshals arrested Tian Liang Liu and brought him to the 70th Precinct to be charged.”

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City releases detailed ‘City of Yes’ zoning changes, including taller buildings, less parking and affordable housing

Apr. 12, 2024 By Anna Bradley-Smith

Taller residences, less parking, and more infill buildings will be allowed in New York City if the mayor’s City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning changes go ahead as planned. The draft text for the proposal was released Thursday by the NYC Department of City Planning, the final installment in the sweeping City of Yes zoning proposals that supporters say will increase climate-friendly infrastructure, small business growth, and housing affordability.