N.J. Factory Demolition Causes Stir

Staten Island Advance ^ | February 10, 2003 | Glenn Nyback

[lainie]

Morning explosions, combined with high terror alert, cause fears of another attack

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A series of explosions ignited to demolish old buildings at a Linden, N.J., factory site yesterday morning jerked Staten Island residents out of their beds, generating fears that another terror attack was under way -- and complaints that the city didn't issue a warning.

Three buildings on the ISP Environmental Services site at Tremley Point, a hazardous waste disposal facility formerly operated by the General Aniline and Film Chemical Corp., were demolished at 7:30 a.m., said Linden Police Lt. Jim Sarnicki.

He said the New York Police Department and the Coast Guard were notified last week about the planned implosions.

An officer at the 123rd Precinct in Tottenville confirmed that the NYPD had been informed about the demolition. But a department spokesman said no details were announced to the public, despite a heightened national terror alert declared on Friday.

A Coast Guard spokesman confirmed the agency also knew about the demolition plans.

Attempts to reach ISP company officials were unsuccessful.

The official notifications did little to comfort skittish Staten Islanders.

"We thought war started," said Bonni Bevilacqua, who was at the YMCA in Eltingville when the building started shaking. "The whole place rumbled."

"It was loud," said New Springville resident Sue Flood, who said she kept searching television news to see if something had exploded in the area. "It was a boom-boom-boom, then a pause, followed by a boom-boom-boom. It was not a good feeling."

Sal Vella, of Eltingville, said it felt like an earthquake.

"It was a terrible rumble," he said. "I was standing in my kitchen and you could feel the windows shaking. I was sure something was happening."

People as far away as Brooklyn reported hearing the explosions.

Scores called the Advance throughout the day, concerned that they didn't know what was going on.

"I thought it was an explosion or a bomb that went off," said New Dorp resident Chris DiMonda. "With everything that's going on right now ... it's fearful that nobody even says what's happening."

Ron Arabia of Annadale said in light of Friday's terror warning -- in which the Bush administration hiked the nation's terrorism threat level from elevated to high -- officials need to be more diligent with informing residents about planned explosions that can otherwise spread fear among residents.

"The time is not even bad, but the timing," he said. "They put us in a higher state of alert and didn't even tell us. I think that was poor judgment on somebody's part."

Glenn Nyback is a news reporter for the Advance. He may be reached at nyback@siadvance.com.

[coloradan]

LOL! "We want the public to be our eyes and ears, but we won't tell them a damn thing."

[lainie]

I hesitate to say it's funny, because it must have been a real "WTF" moment for those poor people this morning. But it is pretty ridiculous.

[Gigantor]

"it must have been a real "WTF" moment for those poor people this morning."

What is it with "Officials" these days - have they ever been more INEPT?

BTW - 3 days after 9/11 I was sitting in my living room in Brooklyn, still smelling the burning debris, when suddenly there was a boom that made my house bounce - I braced for the end - and was scared ****less.

It turned out to be a lightning bolt directly overhead. I know my heart jumped out of my chest, and I was shaken. I can feel for those people on Staten Island.