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Precinct update: committee hears about homicide arrest, residents press for fixes to Rhinelander Avenue school traffic
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Summary
At the Jan. 21 meeting, the committee was told overall crime is 'pretty good' but learned of a recent homicide arrest; residents and members raised safety concerns about double-parked school buses and blocked sight lines on Rhinelander Avenue and asked police to follow up with the school and bus depot.
The Bronx County/City Economic Development and Public Safety Committee on Jan. 21, 2026, heard a precinct update from Lieutenant Markkanen of the 49th Precinct, who said overall crime was "pretty good" but that a recent homicide at Eastchester Garden Houses resulted in an arrest.
Committee members and residents used the police update to press for action on a separate public-safety matter: persistent congestion during school dismissal on Rhinelander Avenue. One resident described repeated double parking by school buses and parents, saying the congestion makes it difficult to exit driveways and creates unsafe sight lines at intersections. "They double park the buses ... You can't get out the driveway," the speaker said, urging police intervention.
Lieutenant Markkanen acknowledged the congestion and said a prior plan with the ICON charter school had helped but that problems remained. Officers said they would "circle back" with school administrators and reach out to the bus depot to reduce blocking at corners and improve traffic flow. Detective Hall said she would run a more detailed records check and provide specific call information to staff the next day.
Lieutenant Hannah said she visited Primoz (a different license location noted in the meeting) on New Year's Eve and observed no incident that night; she emphasized that locations with 24-hour permits had been on police radar. Police reported four calls to the Allerton Avenue location since Jan. 1 but said some complaints may have referred to other parts of the same building rather than the restaurant itself.
The committee did not make a formal policy change at the meeting. Members directed staff and officers to follow up with the school, the bus depot and to circulate the detailed precinct findings once Detective Hall completes her records check.
