Cops Arrest LES Man They Say Hurled A Bottle From A Balcony

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — A man accused of hurling a bottle from the balcony of a Lower East Side building, sending it to shatter near a 4-year-old girl on the street below, has been arrested, the NYPD said.

It's unknown if the man is connected to a string of bottle throwing incidents that have plagued the Masaryk Towers for three years. He has only been linked to the single throw which happened May 2, police said.

Richard Tennassee, 36, who lives in the 21-story building at 77 Columbia St., was arrested Tuesday and charged with reckless endangerment. Police said the bottle smashed the ground nearby a woman, 35, who was walking with a 4-year-old girl, NYPD spokeswoman Det. Denise Moroney said.

No injuries were reported.

Tennassee was released after a court date Wednesday and is due back in court July 8, public records show.

For three years, somebody has been tossing projectiles from a window, smashing car windows and nearly hitting people walking on the street, Lower East Siders said. A nearby school, New Explorations Into Science, Technology + Math, had to re-locate its fire drill location after a plastic bottle was tossed near children in October 2016, according to an email from the school sent to parents that was previously provided to Patch.

Between 2016 and 2018, the NYPD said there have been 27 reported incidents of tossed projectiles. Neighbors have documented multiple incidents in 2019, according to various Lower East Siders, though it is unclear how many were reported this year.

"I'm super excited [an arrest was made] but cautiously optimistic knowing that the judicial system works in mysterious ways," said Dariusz Liszkiewicz, a resident at Masaryk who used to be the co-op board president.

"Everybody's waiting to see what happens next."

The ongoing issue has brought together myriad stakeholders — from police to Masaryk to the local councilwoman.

"After hearing from community stakeholders on this alarming issue and working with NYPD for increased camera monitoring of this site, we have made real progress on solving this public safety hazard," Councilwoman Carlina Rivera said in a statement. "We hope that appropriate steps continue to be taken so that neighbors can feel safe and comfortable on their streets once again."

Even with an arrest made, Lower East Siders Lee Berman, a district leader, and Mathew Quezada, a resident of Hillman Housing Corporation, want Metro Management at Masaryk Towers to install a sidewalk shed or netting.

Berman and Quezada have children who walk near the danger zone to school, NEST+m, nearly everyday.

"I am thankful that nobody has gotten hit at all," Quezada said. "It could be called a miracle."