NY Post Metro

Bowling confirmed she harbors no bitterness toward the young children who struck her.

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Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman voted against banning homeless encampments at six Westside locations, despite promising voters she wouldn’t block fellow councilmembers from imposing such restrictions if elected mayor.

The city councilwoman opposed a proposal from Westside Councilwoman Traci Park last week to crack down on camping at parks, beach dunes and pedestrian tunnels, days before Raman faces Mayor Karen Bass in the Nov. 3 election.

The measure passed 11–4, with Raman among the four councilmembers who voted against it.

“When I’m mayor, if the council wants to create new [no camping] zones, I’m not going to stand in the way,” Raman told an audience in May, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Park blasted Raman’s latest vote.

“Once again, Nithya Raman voted against my efforts to protect our kids and public spaces from dangerous encampments,” Park told The California Post. “Her voting record speaks louder than her campaign promises.”

Former Los Angeles Councilman Joe Buscaino, a former LAPD officer who helped shape the city’s anti-camping law and fought to expand restrictions near schools and libraries, defended the measure as a critical tool for protecting neighborhoods.

“I helped write 41.18 because parents asked us to keep encampments away from schools, beaches and libraries,” Buscaino told The Post.

“It works because it lets each councilmember decide what’s right for their community. The best way to govern as mayor is to trust councilmembers and give them real tools to address quality of life concerns, not stand in their way.”

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents rank-and-file LAPD officers, also unloaded on Raman.

“Nithya Raman must love the Britney Spears song, ‘Oops!… I Did It Again,’ because this week she once again voted to allow dangerous homeless camps near sensitive locations throughout West Los Angeles,” the union told The Post.

The union said Raman was running a “say-anything-to-get-elected flip-flop campaign,” claiming she was “talking out of both sides of her mouth.”

Park’s proposal targeted six locations across her Westside district, including Vista del Mar Park and the Dockweiler Beach sand dunes, Asilomar View Park and Temescal Canyon Park in Pacific Palisades, and two pedestrian tunnels beneath Pacific Coast Highway.

The restrictions fall under the city’s controversial anti-camping ordinance, Municipal Code Section 41.18, which allows officials to prohibit sitting, sleeping and camping in designated public spaces.

Supporters say the law helps keep parks, sidewalks and other public spaces safe and accessible. Critics, including Raman, say it simply pushes encampments from one neighborhood to another without getting people off the streets.

“My imagination for how we address homelessness in L.A. goes beyond just thinking about which block an encampment should be on,” Raman has said. “It is about how we actually get encampments indoors.”

But for some Venice parents, the fight over encampments is deeply personal.

Venice mother Erin Ashford told The Post her child suffered nightmares about “zombies” after repeatedly encountering homeless encampments near Westminster Elementary School during former Councilman Mike Bonin’s tenure.

Bonin, who represented the Westside, refused to designate anti-camping zones in his district while in office.

Ashford said her pleas to Bonin’s office were brushed off.

When she heard Raman’s remarks questioning whether moving tents 500 feet away from schools would make children safer, she was furious.

“I was livid when I heard this,” Ashford told The Post. “Have her visit our house and try to explain to our kids that zombies aren’t trying to get them.”

“What they saw every day before Traci Park made this a no-camping zone was a nightmare,” she said.

Raman’s comments came during a 2024 Sherman Oaks forum, where she questioned whether banning encampments within 500 feet of schools would make children safer.

“I don’t think a kid’s gonna be safer because a tent is 500 feet away from a school,” Raman told the audience, adding, “You know, it’s like, whatever.”

The comments resurfaced in September when the police union targeted Raman in a campaign ad featuring a young girl walking past a homeless encampment.

Raman pushed back, saying she wants encampments removed from city streets altogether rather than simply relocated to another block.

But Nico Ruderman, a Venice Neighborhood Council member and father, questioned why Raman continues voting against the restrictions if she intends to let councilmembers use them as mayor.

Ruderman became active in neighborhood issues after children arriving at his son’s school encountered a dead body during morning drop-off. He also told The Post about RV’s outside the school that caught fires and fights that would break out while dropping off his son.

“Nithya Raman has made campaign promises that she’ll let councilmembers use 41.18 in their own districts as mayor. But she consistently votes against them doing exactly that as a councilmember,” Ruderman told The Post.

“She has repeatedly spoken against the law, and Traci Park’s proposal to expand it sat unheard in the committee she chaired. Both her votes and her actions contradict what she’s telling voters.”

Ruderman challenged Raman to demonstrate her commitment before Election Day.

“Why should anyone trust her? Becoming mayor isn’t going to magically change her political beliefs. If she means what she says, she can demonstrate it now.”

“She has consistently opposed 41.18 protections around schools, and this week she voted against protections around parks where children play,” he added.

“As a parent, I believe she’s a danger to children in Los Angeles, whether she’s a councilmember or mayor. I’m judging her by both her votes and her actions, not what she says to get elected.”

Bass’s campaign also blasted Raman saying she has repeatedly voted against restrictions designed to keep encampments away from schools and other sensitive locations.

“Nithya Raman says on the campaign trail that she won’t interfere with her colleagues’ work to ban encampments outside of schools and daycares, but she keeps voting to do just that,” a campaign spokesperson told The Post.

“Raman doesn’t think a kid is safer if a tent is 500 feet away from a school, and she would undo our progress cleaning up encampments throughout the city.”

The Post reached out to Raman’s campaign for comment.

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman crisscrossed the city Monday in a last-minute scramble for votes, wrapping up a bruising campaign that exposed deep frustration over homelessness, public safety and the future of America’s second-largest city.

Bass told the California Post Monday morning she was feeling confident heading into Election Day, as both candidates made their final appeals to voters in a city grappling with 45,194 homeless residents, a shrinking police force and soaring living costs.

“I don’t take anything for granted, but I can tell you that I think the undecideds have begun to shift,” she said.

The mayor kicked off her day alongside Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra at Homegirl Café in Chinatown, greeting customers and employees.

“My closing message to voters is that this election is a real choice,” Bass told a group of reporters, promising to tackle homeless encampments, hire more police officers and make Los Angeles more affordable in her next four years if elected.

Raman, meanwhile, joined higher-education workers with UAW Local 4811 at UCLA, appealing to younger voters struggling to afford life in Los Angeles.

“Young people who are moving to the city who want to build their life here, who want to be able to afford to build their dreams here, and are unable to do it because we have a mayoral administration in a city hall that has ignored their needs for far too long,” Raman said.

Her campaign also organized final-day canvassing in Highland Park and Mar Vista, reporting nearly 100,000 doors knocked since the June primary.

Bass also juggled her job as mayor with the final campaign push, making stops across the city that included a meet-and-greet with former Congressman Tony Cardenas in Pacoima, a business walk through Historic Filipinotown with Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez and a ribbon-cutting for new permanent supportive housing for young people aging out of foster care.

She was scheduled to finish the evening rallying volunteers at a South Los Angeles phone bank before joining a downtown tribute to civil rights leader Dolores Huerta with organized labor.

The final sprint followed months of clashes over homelessness, LAPD staffing, the Palisades fire and City Hall accountability.

A final UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll showed the candidates tied at 40% among likely voters, with 19% undecided.

But veteran political consultant Rick Taylor, who has spent 50 years working in politics, told The Post Monday he believes Bass gained momentum in the campaign’s final stretch.

“If I were Mayor Bass, I would feel very positive right now,” Taylor said, pointing to what he described as 90,000 additional Latino votes cast this election cycle and predicting Bass would perform particularly well among Latina voters.

“I think momentum is on her side. The longer the campaign went on, the more Nithya’s lack of knowledge was an advantage to the mayor,” he said.

Still, Taylor credited Raman with tapping into voters’ frustration.

“Nithya’s message was the right message for the time,” he said. “Everyone says they want change. They don’t see it. Fresh, new, I’m going to make things better. It’s easy to say. It’s harder to do.”

Despite his assessment, Taylor cautioned against expecting a quick result.

“My prediction is we will not know who the mayor of LA is until tomorrow night,” he said.

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Tiger Woods will make his mark on the Long Island golf scene. 

The famed golfer has been teed up, along with his design firm, TGR Design, and in partnership with the Armchair Collective, to reimagine a North Shore Long Island golf course that has been shuttered for years. The project will renovate the old Tam O’Shanter Country Club in Brookville, N.Y., into a new club that includes fresh practice facilities, a golf performance center and a new clubhouse. 

The club will be a private 18-hole course and comes after a development firm attempted to build luxury housing on the property until arsenic was discovered in the topsoil. 

In a statement, Woods expressed excitement about designing the course and being part of the golf scene on Long Island, where he won the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. 

“The opportunity to create a new golf experience in the heart of Long Island’s Gold Coast, a region steeped in rich history, is tremendously exciting for our team,” Woods said. “I have great memories of competing on Long Island, especially at Bethpage. This region has an extraordinary golf course architecture tradition, and we look forward to contributing to that legacy with a course that players can enjoy for generations.”

The course name and renderings will be released in 2027. 

Preparation on the site and demolition have already begun, with the expectation that construction will begin in 2027. 

The Tam O’Shanter Club opened in 1962 and was remodeled in 1968 and again in 1999. 

A developer purchased the property in 2019 and planned to build homes there, but the plans were scrapped after the arsenic discovery.

The Armchair Collective, a private golf company, purchased the land in September after the year before, Brookville amended its zoning code. 

“Bringing Tiger Woods and TGR Design to this beautiful and historic part of Long Island is a remarkable opportunity,” Brookville mayor Dan Serota said in a statement. “Combining the Gold Coast’s longstanding golf tradition with Tiger and his team’s skill and attention to detail makes this an exciting project for Brookville and the broader region.”

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NYPD cops shot a career criminal after he refused to drop his gun, pointed it at officers and then got into a gunfight near a Bronx daycare on Monday afternoon.

Victor Soto, 49, was shot by officers after he menaced customers inside Sammy Gourmet Deli on Bainbridge Avenue and East 194th Street in the Bronx around 3:20 p.m., Assistant Chief at Patrol Borough Bronx North Aneudy Castillo said at a press conference.

Soto whipped out his gun inside the deli, racked the weapon and pointed it at terrified patrons, forcing them to “duck for cover” before walking northbound, Castillo told reporters.

Two uniformed officers in an NYPD vehicle then spotted the gun nut “violently slam” the firearm into the glass window of the deli — causing the cops to issue verbal commands for him to drop the weapon.

Instead, he pointed the firearm directly at officers and began a gun battle with cops, shooting as he continued walking northbound.

Soto was shot by one of the officers and taken to the hospital, where he is in stable condition.

A shocked parent, Alex, told The Post she saw the cops and suspect firing at each other as she picked up her child from a daycare next to the deli.

Soto has a long rap sheet, including eight prior arrests, including for assaults and criminal possession of a firearm.

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A bomb threat sparked a major security scare at the San Diego County Registrar of Voters building Monday afternoon after a suspicious suitcase was discovered in the lobby, prompting authorities to evacuate the facility and shut down surrounding streets.

The San Diego Police Department confirmed that a suitcase was found in the building’s front lobby at approximately 1:45 p.m., triggering an evacuation as a precaution.

Police also closed nearby streets while authorities responded to the potential threat.

The alarming discovery comes just one day before Election Day, as election officials prepare for voters to head to the polls Tuesday.

Authorities have not yet disclosed what was inside the suitcase or whether any explosives were discovered.

It was also not immediately clear who left the suitcase in the lobby or whether police believe the incident was deliberately intended to disrupt election operations.

Police have not announced any arrests in connection with the incident.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani was slammed by a tenants’ advocate for hosting a Halloween-themed event about scary landlords — while ignoring complaints about horrible conditions at New York City Housing Authority apartment complexes under his purview.

The Crisis Action Center group, headed by the Rev. Kevin McCall, will be spending five figures on a video ad titled “American Horror Story: NYCHA,” in a spoof of the “American Horror Story” TV series, The Post has learned.

The video shows collapsed ceilings and mold in NYCHA apartments and rattles off stats such as the city-run agency being backed up with 67,782 in mold work orders and a staggering $78 billion in needed repairs.

It also claimed that making a repair in public housing units takes a ghastly 470 days on average.

“For thousands of New Yorkers the horror is home. This is NYCHA,” the clip declares.

McCall ripped Mamdani for failing to mention NYCHA during his October 29 “Talk with the People” streaming event, where he shared spooky tenant-landlord stories, including a renter who owed $63,000 in back rent and a landlord who didn’t provide heat.

“The mayor devoted an entire Halloween event to landlord horror stories, and NYCHA wasn’t mentioned even once. That silence speaks volumes about how little attention public housing residents receive in the city’s conversation about housing conditions,” McCall said.

“Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers call NYCHA home, yet their experiences were missing from the picture.”

Mamdani was joined by Jasmin Batista, tenant outreach director of the Public Engagement Unit, during the pre-Halloween streaming event.

The unit connected the tenant in arrears with a lawyer to help pay debt and apply for housing voucher programs, and inspected the building that lacked heat, restoring it, the pair said.

Earlier this year, critics put Mamdani on blast for holding “rental ripoff” hearings that focused on tenants and landlords in privately-run buildings but not public housing tenants and their landlord, NYCHA.

Mamdani, as mayor with the authority to appoint NYCHA leadership, is now the largest landlord in North America.

NYCHA is the landlord to about 450,000 tenants in 335 housing developments containing 177,.000 apartments, a staggering public housing population larger than most American cities.

The mayor’s press office shot back that the Mamdani administration is laser focused on improving conditions at NYCHA, pointing to comments the mayor recently made at the Edenwald Houses, the largest public housing complex in The Bronx.

Mamdani said his administration has committed to spend $5.6 billion to spruce up NYCHA apartments and will hold tenant forums to field complaints, including conversions of ownership.

“We know that there is still more work to be done,” he said. “Yet these investments are not and cannot simply be financial. They also must be, and will be, investments to empowering residents along the way.”

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His bad habit got the best of him.

A nicotine-crazed thief broke into a closed gas station on Long Island and made off with more than $1,500 worth of cigarettes — but left cash in the register behind, cops said.

The unknown crook, who has not been caught, smashed and barged through the front glass of an Applegreen Gas Station in Hicksville a little after 5 a.m. on Halloween morning, according to Nassau County police. 

After gaining entry into the store, the thief quickly cleaned out the cig section behind the counter, stuffing the packs of smokes into a reusable Target bag before running off, security footage obtained by The Post shows. 

The wanted smash-and-grab fugitive is described as a man wearing a dark colored T-shirt over a gray hoodie, dark pants, gloves, and a mask.

The investigation is still ongoing and Nassau County cops are asking anyone who may have information to contact them anonymously. 

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Two California brothers who promised homeowners affordable backyard homes are now facing a mountain of felony charges after allegedly pocketing more than $1 million from customers.

Austin and Colton Paulhus, co-founders of Anchored Tiny Homes, have each been slapped with 35 felony counts after prosecutors accused them of collecting hefty payments for construction projects that were never completed or in some cases, never even started.

The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office alleges the brothers collected more than $1 million from customers across 13 projects without performing the promised work or providing materials.

Even more shocking, prosecutors claim more than $653,000 was diverted from company accounts to expenses and activities unrelated to construction projects.

The brothers each face 33 counts of diversion of construction funds, one count of conspiracy and one count of employee wage theft.

Their company’s spectacular collapse left a trail of furious homeowners across California, including elderly residents and families hoping to build backyard homes for aging relatives.

Among them was Renee Kumamoto, who reportedly forked over $168,000 for a backyard home intended for her father, who was battling cancer.

But just two weeks after she made her final payment, the company shut down before construction had even begun, according to Realtor.com.

Another devastated customer, Mariah Dorn, publicly accused the company of taking $266,000 from her elderly parents, leaving them with an unfinished structure and a financial nightmare.

“They have scammed my elderly parents out of $266k before I stopped my mom from making another payment,” Dorn wrote in a blistering July 2024 Facebook post.

She claimed subcontractors had gone unpaid for six months and were filing liens against her family’s property.

“They stopped all communication and we are just left with a shell of a home and out of money,” she wrote.

Dorn warned other Californians to steer clear of the company, claiming numerous families from Southern California to Northern California had suffered similar experiences.

The allegations sparked a massive investigation by the California Contractors State License Board, which received more than 200 consumer complaints spanning 18 counties.

Regulators revoked Anchored Tiny Homes’ contractor license in November 2024, and the investigation continued after the business ceased operations.

For retired nurse Jan Truelock, the ordeal began in January 2023 when she paid more than $40,000 for a 450-square-foot backyard home at her Roseville property.

She was promised construction would take about a year. Instead, 12 months later, her backyard remained completely empty. Truelock eventually sued for breach of contract and negotiated a $25,000 settlement, according to Realtor.com.

“I’m very glad they are finally held accountable,” Truelock told the outlet, adding that she believes prison time would be an appropriate outcome.

But the brothers insist the company’s collapse wasn’t criminal.

In a lengthy December 2024 Facebook post, Colton Paulhus acknowledged the disastrous failure of Anchored Tiny Homes while vehemently denying wrongdoing.

“My last business failed. In a major way,” he wrote. “There’s nothing for me to hide. Nothing illegal was done.”

He blamed the company’s downfall on rapid expansion and insufficient funding.

“We simply grew too fast, scaled too quickly, and were not properly capitalized to support the growth,” he wrote. “I feel horrible for how many people were affected. The intentions were pure, the execution was not.”

Austin Paulhus’ Sacramento-based criminal defense attorney, Blair Goss, similarly pushed back against the allegations in a statement to the California Post.

“A business failure is not proof of a crime. When a company fails and customers lose money, that is painful, but it does not necessarily mean anyone broke the law,” Goss said.

“The prosecution has made its accusations, but it has not yet shown us its evidence. Austin will be judged on his own conduct, not on a company’s collapse. The case returns to court January 12.”

Both brothers appeared virtually in court on Oct. 14 but did not enter pleas. They are also seeking bankruptcy protection in federal court.

The California Post reached out to Colton Paulhus’ attorney for comment.

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A California father was killed and his wife left fighting for her life following a multi-vehicle pile-up crash early Saturday on I-80 freeway just west of Lagoon Valley Road.

Around 2:35 a.m., 29-year-olds Greg and Vanessa Tobias of Vacaville were traveling eastbound on I-80 when their blue Hyundai Tucson flipped, obstructing the roadway, according to authorities.

Moments later, three oncoming cars hit Tobias’ overturned Hyundai, sparking a chain-reaction crash across the freeway.

Officials from the California Highway Patrol Solano Area responding to the scene found Greg with fatal injuries, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The circumstances surrounding the initial rollover remain under investigation, according to authorities.

Vanessa, who was in the passenger seat, was transported to Kaiser Vacaville in critical condition.

Her sister, Charlize Estebez, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for Vanessa’s medical expenses and Greg’s funeral.

“There are simply no words to describe the pain and uncertainty the Tobias and Estebez families are facing. Austin, Greg and Vanessa’s only child, is now facing a future without his father, while his mother continues the fight of her life,” Estebez wrote in a statement on the fundraiser.

Estebez described her brother-in-law as “a loving and caring husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”

“It is difficult to find the words to express the pain of losing him so suddenly and tragically. Most importantly, he leaves behind so many friends and family who loved him deeply and who will carry his love with them every day,” she added.

As of Monday afternoon, the fundraiser had received contributions from nearly 500 donors totalling more than $58,000.

Investigators believe both the driver and passenger of the Hyundai were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash.

The 60-year-old female driver of the Kia that crashed into Tobias’ car sustained major injuries and was also transported to Kaiser Vacaville.

​The drivers of the other two cars involved in the crash– a blue BMW coupe and a grey Buick SUV– did not sustain any injuries, authorities said.

No arrests were made at the scene. Authorities do not suspect drugs or alcohol were factors, but the crash remains under investigation.

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The Big Apple dropped a record $10.3 billion on healthcare last year — mostly for its own government workers — helping New York earn the dubious distinction of spending more on the services than any state except Alaska.

The finding was quietly reported in a city Health Department review on medical costs and spending.

The analysis stated that the cost of care is a major stressor on the city budget, which provides medical coverage for 1.2 million municipal workers and retirees.

“High and rising health care spending continues to outpace inflation and wages, generating growing opportunity costs for individuals, businesses, and governments. New York State has the second-highest per capita health care spending, after Alaska,” the report says.

The study suggested the city is limited in what it can do to rein in costs and bolster accountability because private insurers and not-for-profit hospitals are largely regulated by the state and federal governments.

The sweeping analysis said prices, rather than patient use, is the primary driver of rising health care spending.

Outpatient spending at hospital-run facilities was cited as a major cost driver in the study.

“The City spent $10.03B [billion] on employee/retiree premiums in FY25, up 15% since FY23,” the report said.

It found:

• Combined city premium spending through its insurers GHI Comprehensive Benefit Plan and HIP-HMO & Other Plans for active employees and pre-Medicare retirees rose from $8.7 billion in fiscal year 2023 to $9.34 billion for FY24, a 7.4% increase, to $10.03 billion in fiscal year 2025, a 7.3% increase, for a cumulative increase of 15.3% over the two-year period.

• City spending for Medicare-eligible retirees rose from $539.5 million in fiscal year 2023 to $571.5 million in FY24, up 5.9%, and $643.1 million in FY25, a jump of 12.5%, for a cumulative increase of 19.2% over the two-year period.

• Outpatient services/care were the biggest driver of the spike in spending for city workforce plans, increasing 13% for the GHI CBP and 17% for the HIP HMO from 2024 to 2025.

• Emergency-department visits accounted for the largest share of outpatient spending.

• New York State of Health Marketplace private plans for individuals in the city, created through ObamaCare/the Affordable Care Act, averaged $909 per month in 2025, a 19.7% increase over 2 years from 2023.

“As one of the nation’s largest public purchasers of health care, the City has a substantial interest in understanding the factors driving health care costs and affordability challenges,” the Health Department said in its report.

Healthcare affordability remains one of the most pressing challenges straining New Yorkers’ pocketbooks as they face rising premiums, deductibles, copayments, and higher prescription drug costs, the report said.

Amid the higher medical costs, patients face narrower provider networks, stingy prior authorization requirements for medical services and coverage denials that create “additional barriers to timely care,” it said.

The report said Mayor Zohran Mamdani considers the cost of healthcare a key issue to address in his affordability agenda.

“Health care costs rank among the largest household expenses nationally, and in New York City, where the overall cost of living is already exceptionally high, they compound existing economic pressures and undermine the financial security of working families,” the study said.

“The impacts fall hardest on low-income New Yorkers, communities of color, people with chronic conditions, and those enrolled in public insurance programs.”

New York’s healthcare system struggles with workforce shortages, hospitals’ financial instability and labor disputes evidenced by nurses’ union strikes and concerns about staffing levels and patient safety.

“These developments have occurred alongside continued increases in health care costs for consumers, employers, and government purchasers,” the report said.

“While health care costs are often blamed on utilization factors, such as an aging population or the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, research consistently points to price as the main cause,” the study said.

“Health care prices behave differently than prices for other services, rarely corresponding to the actual cost or quality of care or the resulting outcomes.”

For example, the cost of the same procedure at different hospitals in the same market can vary widely in price.

The Healthcare Accountability and Consumer Protection Act of 2023 requires the city government to issue an annual report on medical costs via insurance and medical providers such as hospitals.

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A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in the horrific shooting that killed a pregnant woman and wounded six others inside a Spirit Halloween store in Northern California — after a school resource officer recognized the teen suspect in surveillance footage.

The Fairfield Police Department announced Monday that the juvenile suspect was taken into custody at a residence in Suisun City, three days after the deadly October 30 attack at Solano Town Center.

The teen, whose identity is being withheld because of his age, is facing murder and attempted murder charges, authorities revealed during a Monday afternoon press conference.

The teen suspect was also involved in another shooting in 2025, he served a few months in juvenile hall and was recently released, cops said.

Investigators said the suspect entered the crowded Halloween store around 8:30 p.m. Friday and spotted a customer believed to be his intended target.

He allegedly pulled out a gun and unleashed a barrage of bullets at the individual, striking that person and six innocent bystanders inside the store.

Among those killed was 31-year-old Constance Hages, whose family told investigators she was pregnant at the time of her death.

Six other people were wounded in the shooting, including a 19-year-old man who remained in critical condition as of Sunday.

Three additional victims were still hospitalized in stable condition, according to authorities.

Investigators believe the deadly violence stemmed from a targeted incident involving a suspect inside the store, rather than a random attack.

The terrifying violence erupted as the pop-up costume shop was bustling with last-minute Halloween shoppers, sending panicked customers scrambling for safety.

Fairfield Police Chief Dan Marshall said officers responded to reports of gunfire at the mall Friday evening, where they discovered a chaotic scene with multiple victims.

Hages was pronounced dead at the scene, while six other victims were rushed to nearby hospitals.

Witnesses described hearing a barrage of gunshots before terrified shoppers began screaming and fleeing through the mall.

“Well, she just told me she heard some shots and the people running, yelling and crying already,” one man told KCRA, recounting his wife’s harrowing experience inside the shopping center.

The woman reportedly heard approximately seven gunshots before shoppers raced toward parking lots and other parts of the mall.

Another witness described a frantic employee fleeing the Halloween store and seeking refuge at a nearby restaurant.

“I was in Chipotle a girl working in Spirit ran in & said they came in & just started shooting,” the witness said, according to the Vacaville Reporter.

The shooting sparked a massive police response, with heavily armed SWAT officers sweeping through the sprawling shopping center, which houses approximately 130 stores.

Officers also stormed a Regal Edwards movie theater, where about a dozen unsuspecting moviegoers were watching the horror flick “Halloween.”

“Towards the end of the film and all of a sudden a police officer in full SWAT gear came storming in and he had a very large Maglite and he started waving it all over the theater and asked us if anyone came in that had a gun,” Caitlin Fry told CBS Sacramento.

The chilling encounter brought back memories of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado, movie theater massacre that killed 12 people.

“I was afraid after (the SWAT officer) came in, I thought about ‘Dark Knight’ in Colorado — the shooting that happened there years ago,” Fry’s partner, Marty McCoy, said.

“I told her I don’t know what’s going to happen when we walk out of here, just remember ‘run, hide, fight’ and I love you just in case.”

The FBI also joined the investigation, deploying an evidence response team to assist Fairfield detectives.

In a stunning breakthrough, investigators identified the suspected gunman within hours of the first 911 call after a Fairfield police school resource officer recognized him as a former student while reviewing surveillance footage from the store.

Detectives spent the weekend tracking the teenager before locating and arresting him Monday afternoon at a Suisun City residence.

Fairfield Police Chief Dan Marshall praised investigators for working tirelessly throughout the weekend to bring the suspected shooter into custody.

He also offered condolences to Hages’ grieving family and the six other victims whose lives were shattered by the violence.

Authorities have not disclosed the relationship between the suspected shooter and his intended target or what may have motivated the deadly attack.

Police said the investigation remains ongoing despite the arrest.

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A Republican state Senate candidate blasted his Democratic opponent — claiming the challenger improperly used public funds to pay for mailers that promoted his party’s candidates up and down the ballot.

Assemblyman Jarrett Gandolfo (R-Suffolk County) claimed that Democrat Josh Taveras sent mailers to voters in the 8th Senate District urging them to “vote the whole ticket” — allegedly violating rules of a state program that offers candidates a public “match” for donations under $200.

“Start at the top. Don’t stop until you reach the bottom,” text on the mailer said before listing Democratic 2nd congressional district candidate Pat Halpin, Taveras, and downballot candidates for county comptroller and clerk.

“Vote Democratic, all the way down” it also says in addition to bashing “MAGA Washington.”

Taveras has received over $127,000 of public matching dollars, per BOE records.

Under the state’s campaign finance matching program, candidates are specifically forbidden from using the public funds to support any other candidates, which Gandolfo is arguing Taveras did on his mailer.

“They have blatantly violated New York State Election Law. It makes me question if his candidacy is serious, or if it exists solely to funnel money to other candidates,” Gandolfo told The Post.

“It’s corruption of the Public Campaign Finance system and it demands immediate investigation and accountability for all involved,” he added.

The mailer may also violate limits on how much local candidates can spend supporting candidates on the federal level.

Anthony Pileggi, senior campaign consultant to 2nd District Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), whose opponent appears in the mailer, called for the Federal Elections Commission to investigate the matter.

“This is a blatant disregard for federal election law and exactly the kind of political corruption Long Islanders are tired of,” Garbarino’s rep said.

“The FEC should investigate this matter and hold those responsible accountable,” he added.

Kelly Perry, Taveras’ campaign treasurer, said the campaign stands behind “every word of this mailer.”

“Before printing literature featuring the Democratic slate in our district, our campaign consulted with the New York State Public Campaign Finance Board (PCFB) and they confirmed it was acceptable,” Perry said.

“Every claim is sourced, and every quote is their own. Clearly our opponents are uncomfortable seeing their record in print,” she added.

Gandolfo was first elected to the state Assembly in 2020 after serving as Garbarino’s chief of staff.

The 8th District is currently represented by state Sen. Alexis Weik (R-Suffolk), who chose not to seek reelection this year. Weik won with 67% of the vote in 2024 and 69% of the vote in 2022.

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The Department of Homeland Security has blasted California’s sanctuary policies, claiming the state released nearly 24,000 undocumented immigrants from jail since January 2025 rather than handing them over to ICE.

DHS said the cases involved more than 81,000 criminal charges or convictions, including 169 homicides, 147 sexual assaults, 1,097 assaults and 3,295 burglaries.

“Governor Gavin Newsom and his cronies in California have turned the Golden State into a hotbed of illegal alien crime,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

He added that sanctuary politicians have not only refused to cooperate with law enforcement and “released murderers, child abusers, kidnappers, and gang members back onto the street.”

Among the cases DHS highlighted as the most serious were five people it said Los Angeles County released despite ICE detainers.

Ursulo Montenegro Martinez of Mexico was convicted of negligent manslaughter with a weapon, along with drug and illegal entry offenses, DHS said. ICE asked the county to hold him on Jun. 23, 2025. He was released instead.

Taron Gorgoyan, an Armenian national, was released after ICE issued a detainer on Mar. 6, 2026, according to the department. His record includes voluntary manslaughter, assault likely to produce great bodily injury, identity theft and disturbing the peace.

The county also freed Salvador Jesus Serpas-Hernandez, a Salvadoran citizen DHS described as a member of the Rebels 13 gang. DHS said his convictions include murder, cruelty to a child and battery on a former spouse, and that ICE had lodged its request on Apr. 1, 2026.

In another case, Mexico’s Noe Silva-Cervantes, an alleged Inglewood 13 gang member, left custody despite an Apr. 9, 2025, detainer, DHS said. He was previously convicted of attempted murder, robbery and grand theft.

Javier Balbuena Fernandez, a Cuban national convicted of second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon, was released after an Apr. 22, 2025, request, the agency said.

Farther north, San Francisco County let Carlos Alberto Amaya-Velasquez of Salvador go free after ICE asked for his transfer on May 14, 2026, DHS said.

The Salvadoran national has a felony conviction for accessory after the fact. The department also said he has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, vehicle theft, evading police and carrying a loaded gun in public.

Sacramento County’s release of Samuel Darling Cruz Florino came despite an ICE detainer filed Jun. 1, 2026, according to the department. The Mexican citizen has prior convictions for voluntary manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and having a weapon while in prison.

In Amador County, Ahmed Elgehmbri, a Libyan national, walked free after ICE lodged a detainer on Apr. 22, 2026. DHS said his record includes convictions for attempted murder, assault with a gun, shooting from a car, shooting at an occupied home or car, and carrying a loaded gun in public.

Wilber Ismael Ortez-Ramos from El Salvador was previously arrested for murder, child cruelty, and mayhem but San Mateo County authorities released him despite an ICE detainer issued on June 3, 2026, DHS said.

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A Michigan maniac traveled to upstate New York to hunt down the ex-wife he was obsessed with, shooting her dead before turning the gun on himself more than 200 miles away, police said.

Norman Lohr Jr., 50, tracked Melissa Pelc-Lohr to her home in the small town of Brushton, NY, on Oct. 27 and shot her multiple times in the head, according to the New York State Police.

The deranged gunman led state troopers on a 200-mile manhunt that ended when he fatally shot himself in Lyons, NY, police said.

“Norman was crazy — he was obsessed with my mom — and no one did anything,” Pelc-Lohr’s daughter, Allison Pelc, who also lives in Michigan, said in a Facebook video. 

“I had to get two [orders of protection] to try and least feel safe. But nothing happens, we just keep letting people get away with things,” she said, adding that Lohr allegedly violated those orders at least three times with no repercussions. 

A court hearing had been scheduled for Oct. 28 in Michigan over his past violations of one of the restraining orders.

The vicious murder-suicide took place just days after Pelc-Lohr had returned home from celebrating her daughter’s 30th birthday in Las Vegas. 

“My mom was murdered. She was taken from me, from our family, and from everyone who loved her,” Pelc wrote on Facebook. 

After finding Pelc-Lohr’s body in her home last Tuesday, investigators quickly turned their attention to her ex-husband, who they tracked to Wayne County more than 200 miles away, where they tried to pull him over.

But Lohr floored it when he saw the flashing lights, and took troopers on a high-speed chase until his tires were blown out by a spike strip and he drove off the road, police said. 

When a SWAT team moved in on his truck, they found him dead from a gunshot wound to the head, cops said. 

Pelc said she remembered asking a cop “are we going to wait until I’m actually dead?” when the officer had his hands tied by state law to bust Lohr for violating a stay-away order.

In Michigan, breaking a personal protection order isn’t a crime on its own, and is treated the same as being found in contempt of court, with the maximum punishment being 93 days in jail and a $500 fine — after a victim usually takes the abuser back to court on their own.

“I guess what it took for me to get justice is for her to not be here anymore,” Pelc said of her mother’s tragic murder.

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There are colorful houses in Los Angeles. There are neutral houses — and Neutra houses — in Los Angeles. And then there’s this one.

Sitting proudly atop Mount Royal Drive in the aging-hipster enclave of Eagle Rock is a 138-year-old Queen Anne Victorian painted head to toe in unapologetic purple. And lavender. And mauve. With a dash of cotton-candy pink and a smattering of seafoam, Fanta orange and terracotta.

Locals call the property Esperanza — Spanish for “hope.” Seeing as it just hit the market for $2 million, ordinary local house hunters can only “hope” to get their dainty gloves on this vintage showstopper.

Built in 1888 right before the collapse of the Southern California land boom, the house is pure Victorian pomp and grace.

Think a witch’s hat turret, a wealth of spectacular chandeliers, decorative scalloped shingles, a wide covered porch framed by stone (perfect for judging passers-by “To Kill a Mockingbird” style), a separate secret balcony accessible by a sexy spiral staircase, and that impossible-to-ignore lavender exterior framed in bright-pink and dark-purple trim.

It looks like something a fairy-tale pixie hopped up on grape soda might have dreamed up.

The generous 2,670-square-foot home boasts four bedrooms and three bathrooms on a nearly half-acre lot — with “city light” views.

Inside, classical details stand the test of time — wood floors throughout, a dramatic living-room fireplace, and that respectable all-bedrooms-up layout.

The kitchen, primary suite and bathrooms have been blessed with more recent upgrades, but the theme of purple royalty remains strong throughout, including the kitchen island.

Speaking of bathrooms, those grandiose bathtubs are fit for a “Game of Thrones” king, complete with an elaborate dragon faucet in one.

There’s even an in-ground pool out back for further floating and emoting.

The last known owner Leonora Pierotti, who was said to be born in 1913, was the daughter of Italian immigrant Attilio Pierotti, who made his fortune in California spearheading the packing and shipment of local fruits, including citrus.

Leonora Pierotti was no casual fan of the color purple, apparently. According to listing agent Laurie Turner, Pierotti, who reportedly drove a purple Hummer, “had a penchant for purple and it made her happy.”

Eagle Rock has spent the last two decades metamorphosing from suburban to sought-after, and this house sits right in the middle of that creative renaissance — close enough to the artsy coffee shops and new restaurants, far enough up that hill to feel like its own little kingdom of all it surveys.

For $2 million you get more than square footage and ample gardens.

You get a genuine piece of Industrial Revolution-era LA that somehow survived the wrecking ball, the stucco-fication of the City of Angels, and every flash-in-the-pan design trend that tried to wipe out this kind of joyful maximalism.

Esperanza is currently listed with Coldwell Banker Realty.

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Whether you’re actually in the market for a castle to call your own or just want to visit the open home and drool over all that color, one thing is certain: There will never be another house in Eagle Rock quite like this purple mountain of majesty.

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A West Point cadet fed his pregnant girlfriend a sedative-laced smoothie and “shoved abortion pills” into her vagina, killing the fetus — then enrolled in Columbia University’s public-health masters program, a new lawsuit says.

Disgraced former army cadet Caleb T. Suh — the son of US Department of Veterans Chief of Staff Dr. Ryung Suh — already admitted in federal court that he deliberately tricked his then-girlfriend into chugging what he assured her was a “special pregnancy protein powder” shake in 2022, according to the lawsuit and his guilty plea.

The sick smoothie was actually chockful of the sedatives Xanax and Promethazine.

The ailing woman, also a cadet, was overcome with drowsiness, and that’s when “Suh shoved abortion pills into Ms. Doe’s vagina and in her mouth,” according to the suit.

The woman went on to lose the baby she had hoped to keep — while Suh ended up studying emergency medicine at Cornell University in upstate New York and received a bachelor’s degree from the Ivy League school in 2024, court documents said.

The defendant was eventually charged in the disturbing case this past spring and pleaded guilty to felony assault in June — repped by lawyer Thomas Kenniff, who previously defended deadly Manhattan subway vigilante Daniel Penny. He is awaiting sentencing.

Suh then enrolled in the prestigious master’s program at Ivy League Columbia in Manhattan, the suit said.

A source with knowledge of the situation said Columbia was unaware of Suh’s criminal conviction before the media recently began inquiring about his case, noting that applications do not ask for disclosures of criminality.

The source said that after learning of Suh’s past, the school “took swift action” — but did not specify what that meant.

“For years, Ms. Doe has been forced to grapple with her experience,” the lawsuit said. “Ms. Doe’s life has been irreparably changed, and she has lost a baby that she intended to keep.

“Meanwhile, Defendant Suh matriculated at Cornell University, earned a Bachelor’s degree, and is now enrolled at Columbia University.”

It is unclear whether either Suh or the woman — both of whom would be in their 20s — ever graduated from West Point.

The pair had started dating while enrolled at West Point in 2020, with the anonymous woman discovering she was pregnant in 2022, the suit claimed.

While she wanted to keep the pregnancy, Suh was staunchly opposed and “even threatened to commit suicide if she did not terminate the pregnancy,” the suit said.

Suh then began feigning support for her and the baby — even as he obtained the abortion pills by stealing her identity and opening a fake account with an online pharmacy, ordering the drugs in her name and having them shipped to West Point, according to his plea and the suit.

“I also obtained Xanax through a friend,” Suh admitted in his guilty plea. “My intent was [to] use the Xanax to unwittingly sedate my girlfriend so that I could then administer the abortion pills, which I had obtained via the online pharmacy.”

He even asked questions on the pharmacy’s online forum, including “[W]ill I feel the pills in my vaginia?”

Suh eventually gave the pregnant young woman what he called a “special pregnancy protein powder” laced with the sedatives, the suit said. It’s unclear how far along she was in the pregnancy at the time.

Despite the woman’s revulsion at the taste of the drink, Suh insisted she finish it, “holding the bottle against her lips and forcing her to drink it,” according to court papers.

She spent the next few hours sick and incapacitated, floating in and out of consciousness.

At some point, she recalled Suh “began touching her vagina,” the suit claimed.

She also remembered finding two pills in her mouth and spat them out, but Suh shoved them back in, the filing said.

“Eat this,” Suh allegedly urged her. “It’s good for you.”

When she awoke, the young woman discovered she was “profusely bleeding from her vagina,” according to the suit, and, fearing a miscarriage, tried to call Suh, but he didn’t answer.

The woman called 911, and doctors confirmed she was suffering a miscarriage, and she was given a D&C to remove the fetus’s remains, her suit said.

But Suh, still ignoring calls from the woman he drugged, was worried about being discovered and continued posting on the pharmacy forums about what to do if the doctors “see the remaining pills” in her vagina, the lawsuit said.

The two broke up soon after and Suh went on to finish his undergraduate degree at Cornell, enrolling the fall of 2024 — the same semester where a horrific frat house gang rape allegedly occurred — and began studying emergency medicine, claiming his long-term goal was to “become a physician leader committed to advancing both patient care and structural equity.” 

His former girlfriend’s lawyer, Russell Kornblith, said in a statement, “As a parent it is difficult not to be incredibly emotionally drained by thinking about what our client has experienced both by the loss of a pregnancy she intended to keep and being robbed of autonomy over her own body.”

His client is allowed to remain anonymous at least for now — which is typical for sex accusers — but a judge could decide down the road to make her name public if the defendant successfully makes a case for it.

Suh was charged in Manhattan Federal Court, before his first semester at Columbia, and pled guilty in June.

Several weeks ago, he asked to delay his sentencing until January, so he could finish his semester without interruption.

The request was granted, and prosecutors are seeking two years behind bars.

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Two high-profile California comedians have been accused of sexual assault by two women.

Jay Rich, whose legal name is Justin Richardson, stands accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a fellow comic in his vehicle in 2018.

Meanwhile, LA-based stand-up Dauood Naimyar faces claims from a former high school classmate that he raped her twice more than 15 years ago while she was intoxicated.

Both men now face widespread cancellations as comedy venues, bookers and festivals nationwide cut ties over the claims.

Both performers have vehemently denied the claims, which first surfaced on social media before the accusers detailed their alleged experiences to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The two women, who do not know one another, said national headlines about a sexual assault lawsuit filed by a former Cornell University student inspired them to break their silence.

Local comic Chelsea Bearce, 45, claimed Richardson attacked her inside his vehicle in March 2018. Bearce said she met Richardson at an Oakland dive bar to network, but suffered rapid blackouts and lost motor function after less than one cocktail, leading her to suspect her drink was spiked. Bearce claimed she came to in the passenger seat of Richardson’s car, paralyzed and unable to stop him from forcing her to perform oral sex.

“I remember at one point saying, ‘No,’ and trying to push, but I had no strength in my arms,” Bearce told the Chronicle. “My arms wouldn’t work.”

Bearce said she suppressed the trauma for years, but running into Richardson while competing on the local circuit this fall brought the memories rushing back.

“It took me a while to really put together what happened,” Bearce said.

Referencing the recent Cornell University case where a student accused multiple fraternity members of assault, Bearce added: “If this woman was strong enough to name these seven, then I’m strong enough to name my one.”

She added that she plans to lodge an official report with the Oakland Police Department.

In an unrelated claim, a Sacramento woman, who asked the Chronicle not to be identified, accused Naimyar, 36, of raping her on two occasions more than 15 years ago. She alleged Naimyar assaulted her in a Dublin hotel room in 2010 when she was a 17-year-old high school junior, and again the following spring inside a car parked near a San Ramon elementary school, claiming he ignored her repeated refusals while she drifted in and out of consciousness.

“He knows he ruined my life for a long time and tried to apologize after a friend of mine confronted him about the events I shared,” she said. “I have now since discovered he is still an active comedian doing shows around the country. I don’t know how many other girls he harmed, if any, but he is a predator and he hunted me for years.”

To date, neither woman has gone to police or filed civil suits.

The Comedy Underground, the body behind the San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition won by Richardson just weeks ago, severed all ties with him and scrubbed him from its promotions. Richardson was also pulled from a headlining gig at The Deaf Puppy Club in Manteca. 

Naimyar saw his tour dates wiped out at The Comedy Bar in Chicago and the Laugh Factory in San Diego, while other independent club owners across California announced blanket bans on booking the comic.

In a lengthy statement to The Post, Rich said: “I am aware of the allegations Chelsea Bearce made about me on social media. They are false. I did not force, coerce, or pressure her into anything, and I have never engaged in non-consensual conduct with anyone.

“Chelsea and I have known each other through the Bay Area comedy scene for about ten years. The night she describes was nearly a decade ago. In the years since, we have remained friendly and worked together.

“We booked each other for shows and supported each other’s careers, including during this year’s San Francisco Comedy Competition. Our written communications over that time are consistent with that relationship and not with what she has now described.

“Sexual assault is real, and survivors deserve to be heard and taken seriously. Comedy has not always been a safe place for women, and I support every effort to change that. That is exactly why accuracy matters.

“False accusations harm the person accused, and they also make it harder for real survivors to be believed. These claims have already cost me work and damaged my reputation and livelihood.

“I have retained counsel and am evaluating all legal options to protect my name. I will not comment further at this time.”

Naimyar said: “I unequivocally deny the allegations of rape and sexual assault made against me.
[Accuser] and I knew each other for approximately one to two years, during which we were part of the same social circle.

“My friends and I used to throw hotel parties, and [accuser] attended one. At one point, [accuser] invited me to join her in the hotel room. My recollection of our interaction is fundamentally different from what she has alleged.

“We spoke with each other, and nothing about our interaction led me to believe she was unwilling to be with me. I unequivocally deny that I sexually assaulted [accuser].

“We continued spending time together after that encounter, getting food, attending parties, and socializing with mutual friends. Our interactions remained friendly until our final encounter at my parents’ home.

“Multiple individuals can independently speak to these timelines of our interactions.
Regarding [accuser’s] allegations about the time we spent together in my car, she had invited me to a small gathering of approximately five or six people. Afterward, she asked me to drive her home.

“Although I had initially planned to head straight home myself, I agreed to give her a ride. We stopped for food and spent some time together. I unequivocally deny that I sexually assaulted her.

“Regarding [accuser’s] allegations about what happened at my family’s home, she came over while I was living there. There are witnesses who can testify that she came to my house knowingly. She had come over to socialize at my house multiple times before. We went back to my bedroom and started making out.

“While we were making out, I attempted to make an advance, which she promptly told me she did not like. I stopped immediately.

“I also want to address my 2018 apology. When she reached out, this was the first time I had learned of these allegations. I was shocked by them. My friends and I had teased [accuser] when we were younger.

“Looking back, I recognize how hurtful and immature that behavior was, and I deeply regret my part in it. Furthermore, our final encounter had ended abruptly. That was what I was apologizing for, and that apology was sincere. My apology then did not admit the allegations she now raises, and I deny them now.

“My girlfriend at the time helped me think through my response to [accuser’s] message. We believed it was important to acknowledge someone’s hurt and respond with empathy rather than defensiveness. That is what my apology was intended to convey. It was not an admission to the allegations of rape, which I deny.

“Since then, [accuser] has publicly identified my roommate and encouraged people to contact him. My parents’ residential address was also exposed in a since-removed post, with [accuser] subsequently confirming that the property belonged to my parents.

“Several family members have received targeted messages from people who appear to have found us through these posts.

“I hope that both my account and the impact on uninvolved family members will be represented fairly and accurately. I am more than willing to cooperate fully with any investigation.”

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State Attorney General Letitia James had a lot to say about President Trump but only a little about local policy during one of her last days of midterms stumping — as she was joined by outgoing Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

“Congress has neutered themselves,” James said on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall Sunday evening. “Congress, unfortunately, is not in a position right now to basically rein in the excesses of this administration.

“And that’s why, as the attorney general, along with all my colleagues, Democratic AGs, we’ve stepped up,” the Democrat added. “We have reined him in against his excesses, against his authoritarian bent.”

James — ostensibly running to keep New Yorkers safe from crime and malfeasance on Nov. 3 — touted the number of times she’s sued the Trump administration, and vowed to keep dogging the president for his “illegal and unconstitutional” activity.

“We refuse to bow to a king. We refuse to capitulate. We refuse to give in because we believe in democracy,” she said. “I’m gonna continue to use the law both as a sword and as a shield. 
And to stand up for the rule of law and for democracy against this chaos. This confusion. And yes, this corruption.”

During that diatribe James briefly mentioned that she’s “removed over 10,000 illegal guns” from the streets — before dedicating the rest of her time to the president and her desire to “return to normalcy” of a pre-Trump era.

James was followed by Crockett — who lost her reelection primary to fellow Democrat James Talarico and will leave Congress on Jan. 3 — and the day became an appeal to black voters to stand up to the Trump administration.

“When I show up in Congress, I show up unapologetically black every single day,” Crocket said. “Number one, I know who I am and I know whose I am. I also know who sent me to Congress.

“I also know who hasn’t had a seat at the table. So the question is, are you ready to fight for your own liberation?” she added. “Our neighbors have been attacked, simply because of the color of their skin or their accent. Voting has to be personal.”

James’ and Crockett’s speeches were even paired with performances of Sam Cooke’s Civil Rights anthem “A Change is Gonna Come,” and the so-called black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

The pitch to minority voters with an anti-Trump narrative closely followed the playbook followed by other leading New York Democrats on the midterms ballot — notably Gov. Kathy Hochul, who spent her campaign characterizing opponent Bruce Blakeman as a Donald Trump yes-man.

Hochul also spent her last day before the election campaigning in Harlem, with a focus on trying to boost turnout in the deeply blue Big Apple.

Democrats are looking to regain ground with minority voters after a dismal decline in the 2024 election — when Kamala Harris won 22% fewer votes over Trump than President Biden did in 2020, thanks in large part to Latin voters.

New York Democrats are still largely leading Republican challengers in the midterms, with James polling ahead of Saritha Komatireddy about 54% to 39% and Hochul ahead of Blakeman around 54% to 40%, according to Sienna University.

No Republican has won statewide since former Gov. George Pataki in 2002.

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Four school buses were found vandalized with swastikas and other antisemitic vitriol outside a Brooklyn yeshiva Monday morning, cops said.

The hateful symbol and phrases “F–k Jews,” “F–k Israel,” “Free Palestine” and “America First” were scrawled in black spray paint on the buses parked outside the United Talmudical Academy of Williamsburg, according to police and photos posted by Williamsburg News. 

Someone affiliated with the yeshiva, located at Bedford Avenue and Williamsburg Street West, made the disturbing discovery around 9:50 a.m. and called 911, police said.

No arrests had been made hours later, and the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating.

No suspect descriptions were immediately available.

The vandalism was discovered less than a month after the same yeshiva received a phoned-in bomb threat on Oct. 9, authorities said. 

That threat came minutes after someone called the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School with a similar threat.

Both schools were evacuated out of an abundance of caution before the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit and K9 teams swept both schools, deeming them safe, cops said. 

The NYPD revealed last month that hate crimes jumped by nearly 13% over the first nine months of the year compared to the same period last year, with anti-Jewish incidents accounting for more than half of them.