Vigilantes vs. Drug Cartels

Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers are poised to crack down on New York City drivers who repeatedly trigger the city’s speed cameras, requiring them to install and pay for a speed-limiting device in their vehicle.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told Gothamist on Wednesday that he anticipates the so-called “super speeder” measure will be included in a final state budget agreement, which is now five weeks late.

Heastie, a Democrat from the Bronx, said Assembly Democrats will support a version of the legislation that requires the owner of any vehicle that racks up 16 or more speed-camera tickets in 12 months to install an Intelligent Speed Assistance device, which uses GPS technology to limit a vehicle’s speed based on the local speed limit.

The speaker’s comments came after a closed-door meeting of the state Assembly’s Democratic members from New York City, where they discussed the issue.

Hochul and the state Senate’s Democratic majority previously pledged support for iterations of the measure; their staffers were scheduled to meet Wednesday night to iron out the final details.

“We had  a conference with the city members,” Heastie told Gothamist. “And I think for the most part, they're comfortable in moving forward — with some major differences from the governor's [proposal].”

A bill cracking down on the most notorious speeders has been kicking around the state Legislature since 2023.

It received a major boost in January, when Hochul included a version of the proposal in her state budget plan.

Senate Democrats followed suit in March, including a different version in their own state budget proposal.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has backed the measure.

Hochul’s proposal, however, didn’t lay out many details. Instead, it would have let New York City determine how many tickets triggered the speed-limiting device requirement.

Heastie said the measure is expected to end up looking more like the existing legislative proposal, which Brooklyn-based Democrats Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Emily Gallagher sponsored.

“There’s been a lot of positive momentum on this issue in recent days and while we still have more details to iron out, I feel fairly optimistic that we’ll get to a final agreement to enact a super speeder program for NYC,” Gounardes said in a statement.

The Assembly’s decision marks a major win for families of vehicle-crash victims, who banded together to form a group known as Families for Safe Streets New York. The group was a frequent presence at the Capitol in recent weeks and met with Hochul on Monday.

In a joint statement, the co-chairs of the group’s executive committee said the super speeders bill is “critical” and “will save lives.”

“We’re fighting to ensure it’s in the final budget,” Kate Brockwehl and Fabiola Mendietta said in the statement. “We’re cautiously optimistic and eager to see the full details."

Heastie and some Assembly Democrats had previously raised concerns about due process with the super speeder bill.

But he said the Assembly is on board with a version that addresses those concerns by removing a proposed misdemeanor charge for a driver who doesn’t install the speed-limiting device. Instead, the owner of the vehicle will face a series of escalating civil fines leading up to revoking the vehicle’s registration.

“ We’re talking about a civil violation,” Heastie said. “To add a criminal penalty on a civil violation, the city members … had a little bit of an issue on that. So that’s not going to happen.”

Heastie said the owner of the vehicle will be required to pay for the speed-limiting device. It costs approximately $150 to install and requires a $4-a-day subscription, according to the SteerSafe Partnership, a coalition that includes the largest manufacturers of the device and lobbied in favor of the super-speeder bill.

Drivers who can’t afford the cost will be allowed to enroll in a payment plan, Heastie said.

"The Book of Mormon” performances on Broadway have been canceled through May 17 after a three-alarm fire hit the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in Midtown earlier this week, officials said.

ATG Entertainment and the production said in a joint statement on Wednesday that repairs were underway at the theater after the fire on West 49th Street.

The company said the blaze was limited to the theater’s follow spot booth, but the venue, which opened in 1925, will remain out of service pending repairs and inspections by the city Department of Buildings.

FDNY officials on Monday said firefighters responded shortly after 10 a.m. to find a fire involving electrical equipment between the fourth and fifth floors of the building. Firefighters also identified a fire between the fifth floor and the roof, authorities said.

Nearly 200 fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene, according to the FDNY. One firefighter suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, officials said.

Producers had already canceled several days of performances on Monday before announcing the extended shutdown on Wednesday.

Ticket holders for canceled performances will be contacted about refunds or exchanges, according to the production. ATG Entertainment and the show’s producers said they expect performances to resume “in the coming weeks.”

A 16-year-old surrendered to police on Wednesday and was indicted on assault charges in connection with the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Jaden Pierre at a Queens park last month, authorities said.

The teenager, whose name was being withheld because of his age, allegedly punched and kicked Pierre alongside a group of other boys moments before 18-year-old Zahir Davis pulled a silver handgun from a backpack and shot him in the chest, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

He was the second person charged in a killing that drew citywide attention after video of the beating circulated online.

"As alleged, a 15-year-old teen who was ganged up on by multiple teenagers while others watched and took video, was then shot and killed," Katz said in a statement. "Jaden Pierre, the victim, was unarmed and allegedly did not fight back."

Davis, of Springfield Gardens, was indicted on two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree gang assault and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. The 16-year-old, from Brooklyn, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of attempted first-degree gang assault and third-degree assault, officials said.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Bruna DiBiase set the 16-year-old’s bail at $750,000 and ordered him to return to court on June 4. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

Prosecutors said the shooting unfolded around 6:15 p.m. on April 16, when a large group of teenagers gathered at Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans for a water gun fight advertised on social media.

According to the indictment, the 16-year-old and several other boys attacked Pierre, dragging him to the ground before pinning him against a fence. The 16-year-old allegedly punched Pierre in the face, and Davis, who was standing next to him, then pulled a firearm from his bag and shot Pierre in the upper chest, prosecutors said.

Pierre, of South Richmond Hill, was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

He is one of several teenagers killed by gun violence in New York City this year, according to reports compiled by Gothamist, even as the NYPD has reported record-low numbers of murders and shooting incidents during the first three months of 2026.

Davis fled to Jamaica after the shooting and was arrested by NYPD detectives at John F. Kennedy International Airport when he returned to the United States on April 24, according to the district attorney’s office. He had also been charged earlier this month with threatening to shoot his ex-girlfriend, who is the mother of his child, officials said.

The 16-year-old surrendered to detectives assigned to the 113th Precinct after prosecutors obtained an arrest warrant, authorities said. Katz said the investigation into other participants in the assault remains ongoing.

An attorney for the 16-year-old was not listed in court records.