Gun Bust in Alphabet City; Fulton Street Subway Shover Sentenced

While much of New York was still processing the mass shooting at 345 Park Ave. that killed four people on July 28, alert cops on the deep Lower East Side were looking for illegal guns.

Two members of PSA 4, the NYPD unit covering 23 NYCHA developments in Manhattan, found one such weapon at 930 E. 4th Walk, inside the Lillian Wald Houses, a building between Avenue D and the FDR Drive, which is within the confines of the 9th Precinct.

Hit with a slew of gun charges, including criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree—a Class C felony—was Jordan Rodriguez, 27, of 1470 East Ave. in the Bronx.

At press time, he was being held on Rikers Island on $25,000 bail, with a court date that was scheduled for Aug. 5, 2025.

Opened in 1949, Wald Houses, with a population of around 4,500, comprises 18 buildings of 11 to 14 stories set across more than 16 acres bound by Houston Street on the south and East 6th Street on the north.

Fulton Street Subway Shover Sentenced to 18 Years

The Fulton Street subway shover, Christian Valdez, 36, of Brooklyn, was sentenced to 18 years in state prison on July 29 after pleading guilty in New York State Supreme Court to one count of attempted murder in the second degree back in June.

The horrifying incident dates back to March 9, 2024, when at approximately 10:20am, Valdez and his girlfriend were arguing on the platform of the 2/3 train line at the Fulton Street station.

As a downtown train was entering the station, Valdez threw his girlfriend toward the tracks. Several eyewitnesses called 911 to report the incident. When cops arrived, they found the female victim underneath the train. She was rushed to the hospital, where both of her legs had to be amputated. She also suffered fractures to her ribs and a blood clot in her lungs.

Valdez left the station and fled to New Jersey. A few hours later, he was arrested after returning to New York, wearing the same clothing from the incident.

At his sentencing, Valdez’s ex-girlfriend, who revealed herself as Ada Blake, gave a “gut-wrenching” victim impact statement.

“An iteration of me was murdered that day. One that could feel the earth beneath her feet,” Blake said from her motorized chair in Manhattan Supreme Court.

“Christian Valdez will serve nearly two decades in prison following his conviction for committing a life-threatening act of domestic violence in our transit system,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “As a result of this extremely serious attack, the victim has permanent physical injuries, and experiences emotional trauma. I hope the resolution of this case offers her some sense of justice.”

When he threw Blake onto the tracks, Valdez was on parole for a 2020 assault case in the Bronx. Department of Corrections describe Valdez as 5’5”, 250 lbs and a native of Peru.