36th Avenue and Steinway Street (Google)
Jan. 2, 2020 Kristen Torres
Police are investigating an apparent drive-by shooting that took place in Astoria last week.
Multiple shots were fired at two men who were sitting in a car in the vicinity of Steinway Street and 36th Avenue
on Dec. 26 at around 4:30 a.m., police said.
One of the victims, 35, was shot in the arm, leg and face and was taken to Elmhurst Hospital.
The other victim, 36, was shot in the torso, arm and leg, and was taken to Mt. Sinai Queens in a private vehicle. Both victims are in stable condition.
Hours later, police found an unoccupied vehicle with bullet holes in it on 41st Street and Broadway. Police believe the car was used in the shooting.
No arrests have been made and the investigation is still ongoing, according to police.
39 Comments
I grew up in Astoria. I left in 2001. It was a good town with the East and Southern European core. Now it’s
rich people who think they are cool and illegals. Strange mix but that’s what it is.
If you left in 2001, how do you know who lives there now? Furthermore, why are you even reading this blog!?
Astoria is one the coolest neighborhoods in the whole world and very safe.
NYC on heightened terror alert I am sure we will see a decline in crimes and violence throughout Astoria and many other neighborhood this January. It was the first time in the ten years that I lived here that I saw police officers on foot patrol on Ditmars and other main avenues. It was a sigh of relief and a welcoming site to see them especially around this neighborhood with the community on Steinway and Astoria Blvd being so close.
Those that say that the past was not safe in Astoria are trying to paint the wrong picture. I was born in the late 60’s and grew up on 36 avenue and 32nd street. Neighborhood children played outside with front doors left opened. Many of us walked to school unescorted. Most residents knew or recognized each other and we looked out for one another. Of course there were neighborhood drunks and thugs but we all knew who they were and whom to stay away from. In addition we knew where it was not wise to hang out especially late at night. The factories and most shops by me closed at a decent time. The stores that stayed opened were for the community. Weekends were quiet with less traffic and people sat out front interacting with family, friends and neighbors. Nowadays its quite the opposite. There is a shooting in Astoria about every month or two. I hear about crimes being committed every other week on the news and lately many break ins and robberies daily that do not make the news. I see more police driving around but its not deterring crime or all the loitering, speeding, and the drunk and disorderly conduct that is taking place especially late at night.
36th Avenue is not Astoria Park or Ditmars Village, and as a 55 year old native, I can tell you this end of the woods was a ”no-go”. Drug shootings right by the acropolis. Rapes and muggings and killings in the park. 36th was a much different world than ”the powerplant”
I think it has more to do with the restaurants and bars making it easier for criminals to blend in with the public and commit crimes throughout Astoria and the current police methods which are basically just reacting to crime rather than trying to prevent it. Lately, it seems like the authorities are more concerned with having a “good” public image for particular groups than protecting all citizens of NYC. Take the shooting above. If the people driving with weapons knew that there might be a good chance that the cops in Astoria would pull them over and search their vehicle chances are they would stay away. But nowadays most criminals know they will not be stopped, questioned, searched or deemed suspicious to act upon by authorities and most of the visiting public in Astoria and those who have no sense of street smarts. Families with children used to flock to live in Astoria years ago because it was so safe (by all residential areas including the housing projects ) and the sense of community was so high.
“Back to the 70s”: de Blasio & Cuomo’s theme song.
77,000 New Yorkers have left just in the last year. The exodus shall continue.
Jose – You should join them instead of just spending your entire day posting the same exact post to the various neighborhood blogs that make up the Queens Post, over and over again.
Anyone who suggests a person shoul leave for exercising their freedom of speech is a sorry wxcuse for a New Yorker. Take a seat. Take several.
Nothing good happens at 4:30 in the morning;(
Nothing good happens at 4:30 in the morning in Astoria.
Astoria used to be safe. Astoria used to be a beautiful neighborhood.
As an Astoria native who has lived here for over 40yrs it is so sad and depressing to see all of these changes to the neighborhood.
Everything started to change and started to turn for the worse as soon as gentrification occurred in this area.
We never needed it to be gentrified in the first place and certainly do not need or appreciate those who have moved into the area i.e. hipsters/ yuppies / etc from the city and other parts of the country.
Go back to your home we don’t need you hear!
#MakeAstoriaGreatAgain
Hipsters are shooting guns? Yeah, okay.
Same for Woodside and Sunnyside. I loved Woodside but so much has changed now and not for the good.
What an idiot statement: “and certainly do not need or appreciate those who have moved into the area i.e. hipsters/ yuppies / etc from the city.” I moved here from the city in 2013. With my hard earned money. I don’t go around shooting people. I respect where I now live and the people who are there, whether they are old timers like you or new people to Astoria. I also don’t go around making blanket statements about certain kinds of people. Go experience life outside of Astoria, and you might change your opinion. There are good and bad people everywhere. Or continue to live in your sorry shell of a life while making idiotic comments about different kinds of people.
Astoria native of over 35 years and this post is just not true. Astoria was not safer back in the day and let’s be honest, 36th avenue was never as safe as some of the other areas. Whether you love or hate that Astoria is increasingly popular (and candidly I flip flop depending on the issue, it’s a complex topic), gentrification is not the cause of violence. Obviously the original poster is just uncomfortable with any changes, and not capable of spelling correctly. I hate posts that are like “ARGH, insert topic here, things used to be better, now they’re worse [not always true], blame newcomersssssss”
‘Keep it real’ is 100% correct. The 36th Avenue corridor was always more shady and more crime prone. As this incident and the recent deli robbery confirm, it still is.
Stay on topic
All the thumbs down are from people who aren’t native New Yorkers. You have no idea what life was like in Astoria up until 10 years ago, it was good. Not so much today.
The MAGA crowd don’t do a lot of thinking lol
What MAGA crowd. Gentrification is what ruined Astoria.
You are 100% CORRECT.
Governor Cuomo and his cronies screwed the people in New York with this letting everybody out of jail free bulshit, so expect much more of this violence to escalate as these people know they’re not going to jail and they don’t give a s***
Ugh. They’re not “not going to jail”. They just not going to be in jail BEFORE THEIR TRIAL because they can’t afford to make bail. The get found guilty, BOOM….jail time. You want more justice, move to Iran. I hear their military is hiring for upper management at the moment. Could be a big opportunity for you.
Astoria is very safe… everyone knows the bad areas and the crime usually doesn’t spill out of those areas… we all know who does what and where, but no one wants to say it…
I had family and a friend who came to visit over the holidays when this aired all over the local tv stations that morning. I felt embarrassed after telling them how safe Astoria is despite this shooting because the next day they heard about the Bodega incident which was robbed at gun point. They loved my boyfriends apartment and neighborhood in LIC though.
No one cares what you’re friends think of Astoria.
Your
Ha! True that.
Welcome to NY.
To be more specific…Welcome to Astoria Mom and Dad…lol
LIC is just the same, crime is up every where, thank your mayor for that
Some years crime goes up and little, some years it goes down a little but overall, it is down and now where close to where it used to be. Stop pushing your worthless misinformation.
Welcome to reality. DiBlasio City. Bring back stop and frisk already
Things transplants say
The views are amazing in the newly developed LIC area as are the piers. That is why it is so expensive compared to Astoria. Most of new high rises have a doorman in LIC with security cams which helps foster a feeling of safety for those who visit or live there and can afford it. Astoria is your next best option if you can’t afford LIC but you always have to watch your back nowadays and deal with the traffic, dirt, drunks, and visitors who come from all walks of life who are up to no good and have decreased the quality of life around here.
LIC is exclusive and Astoria is not.