🌱 Police Searching For Bus Groper + Elderly Woman Tackled

Hello, neighbors! It's me again, Miranda Fraraccio, your host of the Queens Daily.

First, today's weather:

Breezy with clouds breaking. High: 41 Low: 11.

Here are the top three stories in Queens today:

1. An NYC man has been indicted on murder charges after he killed his 78-year-old mother with a machete. 46-year-old Osvaldo Diaz was apprehended in New Jersey and on Wednesday was extradited to Queens for arraignment on charges of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Diaz is due back in court next month and if convicted, he faces up to life in prison. (NBC New York)
2. A bus groper in Queens is being sought by police after a series of assaults on young women ages 14-26. On Wednesday, NYPD released a photo of the man, who's wanted for at least three incidents in November and December on Q25 and Q65 buses. The suspect, who police say appears to be a teenager himself, perhaps 17 or 18 years old, approached his victims and touched their buttocks or pressed his groin up against them. (NBC New York)
3. On Thursday, a stranger tackled an elderly woman in an unprovoked Queens attack. The attacked happened on Queens Boulevard near 77th Avenue in Forest Hills around 1:30 p.m. when the assailant suddenly pounced on the 75-year-old victim without saying a word. Police are looking for the suspect, and the victim was brought to a local hospital with injuries. (New York Post)

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Today in Queens:

• Healthy Nutrition for Seniors, At Queens Public Library Virtual (10:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• Queens Borough President Donovan Richards handed out testing kits to fellow elected officials, non-profits, community organizations, and business improvement districts on Wednesday. (Facebook)
• Take part in Queens Botanical Garden's free Lunar New Year community art project! On 1/23, 1/29, 1/30, and 2/5, come make a tiger stripe pattern panel or decorate your own tiger face to hang at the Visitor & Administration Building for the month of February. (Facebook)
• Queens Chamber of Commerce has a new resource available for NYC small businesses. The Network is now offering professionally designed business logos and style guides for your small business for free! Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis for limited slots. (Facebook)

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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll see you around!

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander. She works as a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners, and is a graduate of The University of Rhode Island, where she earned a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, hiking, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.