Good morning. It’s Tuesday. We follow the recordings of the subway on Sunday. We’ll also look at why your favorite movie or television show is about to be filmed or filmed in Newark.
It was another random attack on the subway, and it tested New York City’s already shaken confidence in public transportation.
That could slow officials’ efforts to bring passengers back to a transit system that is struggling to lift passenger traffic out of the lows of the pandemic. And, as Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged, the same concern is challenging his drive to return employees to Manhattan offices.
“The call is to get back to work, and the safe subway system is a key driver for doing that,” Adams said at a news conference Monday. “When you have an incident like this, it has a chilling impact. You cannot escape that.”
Despite the discomfort of some passengers, the gunman remains at large. The search continued as police released photos of the wanted man wearing a dark blue hooded jacket and light blue medical mask. “We need all eyes on this,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell wrote on Twitter.
The shooting on Sunday came just six weeks after another gunman opened fire on a crowded Brooklyn subway during rush hour, shooting 10 people and injuring at least 13 others. In contrast, on Sunday, the attacker fired a single shot and struck Daniel Enriquez, 48, who was on his way to brunch in Manhattan.
Enriquez, a researcher at the investment bank Goldman Sachs, was the fourth person to die in transit this year. The metro is still undeniably safe – most of the time. According to police statistics, the same number of deaths had been recorded around this time last year. Major crimes on buses and subways represent only 2 percent of total city crime, the same level as before the pandemic, but passenger numbers are 40 percent lower.
“You have a better chance of winning the lottery than being a victim on the subway — especially the Pick 6,” said Christopher Herrmann, an assistant professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “The reality is the numbers are low.”
Still, Dominique Lachelle, 29, on Monday morning at Canal Street station — where the gunman left the train on Sunday after shooting Enriquez — was apprehensive, adding that she had changed her commute. If there is a seat available, she won’t take it.
“I’m getting up now,” she said, “and I’m going to get close to the doors so I can run to another car if I need to. I don’t want to be in the middle.”
Weather
Expect a cloudy day with an easterly wind and temperatures approaching 70. In the evening a southwesterly wind blows in mild air with temperatures in the high 50s.
ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING
Valid until Thursday (Solemnity of Ascension).
A pivotal Rikers hearing
Facing a possible federal court takeover of the troubled Rikers Island complex, the New York City Department of Correction Commissioner will appear before a federal judge today. The hearing comes amid new signals that the disorder at Rikers continues. Two people have died in custody in the past three weeks, and last week a state judge held the correctional department in contempt for failing to provide medical care to the detainees in a timely manner.
Where will the next big hit on television — on a streaming service, on cable, or on a legacy network — go before the cameras? In a few years, the answer could be Newark.
Last week, officials there announced plans for a television and movie production center called Lionsgate Newark, which will cost $100 million to $125 million. The six large soundstages will be built on the site of a long vacant public housing complex.
I asked my colleague Tracey Tully, who planned the new television and film installation, for an explanation.
Newark officials are clearly hoping the studios will be an economic driver. What about studios that recently opened not far away in places like Jersey City and Kearny in New Jersey? Can you see that they have strengthened the economies there?
It’s hard to say for sure as they haven’t been open that long. But state officials say the demand for space in New Jersey’s existing soundstages often exceeds the availability. There is also an economic boost from spin-off companies, said Darryl Isherwood, a senior advisor on film and digital media for the state’s Economic Development Authority. “Equipment rental. Truck rental. That’s all money spent in New Jersey,” he said.
What are the expected benefits for Newark?
According to a report prepared for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, the project could create between 500 and 600 permanent onsite jobs, including jobs in catering facilities.
The same report estimated that Lionsgate Newark could generate 300 to 400 new jobs nearby over time.
Where else can we expect programs to be filmed or recorded?
A major project, 1888 Studios, is planned for a huge former oil refinery in Bayonne. The developers claim it would be the largest production complex built from scratch in North America.
Netflix confirmed, despite its first subscriber drop in 10 years, that it plans to put in an offer next month to purchase an approximately 300-acre parcel at Fort Monmouth, a defunct military base on the United States. Jersey Shore. If built, it would be Netflix’s second-largest production site, behind ABQ Studios in New Mexico.
Perhaps I should have started with this question: why are all those studios going up, and why in the relatively expensive New York area?
New Jersey has an exceptionally high number of unionized workers who specialize in jobs needed to produce film and television content. That’s probably due to its proximity to New York City. These are people you don’t fly in for a shoot, so having a local labor pool is critical.
But didn’t tax breaks draw producers to New Jersey?
Yes. A law signed in early 2021 by Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, increased the pot of money available to production companies filming or building in New Jersey. Lawmakers also extended tax breaks through 2034. That gave companies looking to build studios here a measure of confidence that the credits won’t immediately evaporate once Murphy’s term ends in 2026.
Why is New Jersey betting that many producers and actors may not want to continue working in Georgia?
Last spring, after Georgia passed a law restricting voter access, Murphy wrote to industry leaders who openly tried to rip off businesses from that state, which has an established film industry, and similarly offer tax breaks. By referring to “shared values,” he appealed to the left-wing politics of many people associated with the historically Hollywood-based film and film industry.
He made a similar argument in 2019 after the governor of Georgia signed what at the time was seen as one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. He reiterates that topic of conversation now is likely to overturn the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade. The New Jersey legislature has codified a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy, protecting access to abortion even if Roe is destroyed.
Dear Diary:
I stood on the platform at Lexington Avenue and 68th Street with my subway ticket in hand. It was my first visit to the city and I had an interview scheduled so I wanted to make sure I was in the right place
I turned to the man next to me.
“Sir,” I said, “do I get train number 6 here?”
“There is no such train,” he replied.
“But this map shows train number 6 coming here,” I said.
“I’ve been commuting for the past 15 years and I’m telling you there is no such train.”
As he said this, a 6 train entered the station.
“Sir,” I said, “you said there is no number 6 train, but here it is.”
“That,” he said, “is the local Lexington.”
† Anil Pandit
Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Send submissions here and read more Metropolitan Diary here†
Glad we could get together here. See you tomorrow. — JB
PS Here’s today’s Mini Crossword and game match† Here you will find all our puzzles†
Sadiba Hasan and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at nytoday..
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