Community Corner
BREAKING: City, State Officials Seek Stiffer Penalties For High-Profile Trespassing
Following 3rd incident at Brooklyn Bridge in 4 months city and state officials to introduce new legislation to discourage publicity-seekers.
Dear would-be celebrity daredevils: Brooklyn has had enough!
This morning at Brooklyn Borough Hall, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, State Senator Daniel Squadron and Assemblymember Joseph Lentol introduced state legislation to raise the penalties for trespassing high-profile structures. This legislation will fill a gap in current state law and complement Senator Charles Schumer’s recent proposal that would make it a federal crime to trespass on critical infrastructure with the intent to commit a crime.
The proposed legislation is in response to following the third security breach of the Brooklyn Bridge since July of this year, this time by Yonathan Souid, a 23-year-old French tourist.
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BREAKING UPDATE: Comments from today’s Brooklyn Borough Hall Presentation:
“Trespassing on our vital infrastructure is too high a risk to be tolerated, and raising the penalties on this crime will help to curb this behavior. We want New Yorkers and tourists to cross the Brooklyn Bridge, not to climb the Brooklyn Bridge.”
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
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“Whether a high profile stunt or a real security threat, trespassing on critical infrastructure comes with higher costs and risks. This proposal, along with Senator Schumer’s effort at the federal level, sends the clear message that in today’s world, these recent breaches are not harmless acts.”
State Senator Daniel Squadron.
“As an elected official, the safety of my constituents and all New Yorkers is my number one priority. When people decide to climb bridges or other critical infrastructure they are putting the lives of all New Yorkers in jeopardy. I hope the next time someone thinks of climbing a bridge or other critical infrastructure they think about... the potential one year of jail they might be serving,” Assemblymember Joseph R. Lentol.
“At a time when terror threats are high, we cannot have people trespassing on vital infrastructure that we know are terrorist targets.
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer.
PHOTO CAPTION: Bird-brained French tourist Yonathan Souid snapping pictures on Brooklyn Bridge
PHOTO CREDIT: New York Daily News
