Coney Island

20 Stories

NYC's First Baby of 2024 Has a Lot in Common With His Dad

Boy born in Brooklyn delivered by same doctor who delivered dad, tended to by dad's pediatric nurse

(Newser) - A young man from Brooklyn became a dad for the first time on New Year's Day—and because his son was born just as midnight struck on New Year's Eve, the little guy now has the distinction of being New York City's first baby of 2024, reports...

More Clues Emerge in Deaths of 3 Kids on Coney Island

Mother of children found on beach Monday is hospitalized, hasn't been charged

(Newser) - Three young kids who were found early Monday along the shoreline of Brooklyn's Coney Island all died drowning deaths, and they've been ruled homicides, a spokesperson from New York City's Office of Chief Medical Examiner said on Tuesday. Police say no one has yet been arrested or...

Cops: Mom Likely Drowned 3 Kids at Coney Island Beach

A sad scene overnight in Brooklyn

(Newser) - Three children died after being found on a New York City beach early Monday, and police believe they were drowned by their mother. The children—a 7-year-old boy, a 4-year-old girl, and a 3-month-old boy—were discovered on Brooklyn's Coney Island beach shortly after 3am and taken to a...

Under Coney Island Boardwalk: a Bound, Gagged Corpse

Homeless men discovered decomposed body Monday; autopsy is pending

(Newser) - Three homeless men looking to expand their camp knocked down a makeshift wall under the Coney Island boardwalk on Monday and found a badly decomposed corpse, bound and gagged. Police were called beneath the boardwalk across from Asser Levy Park, where they found remains that were "nearly skeletal, clothed...

Hundreds Take Part in 'Horrible' New Year's Day Tradition

Freezing temps didn't stop Coney Island's Polar Plunge from happening

(Newser) - The sky was sunny and the water was freezing at Coney Island, where several hundred people, cheered on by hundreds more, ran into the ocean Monday to mark the start of 2018. While some dressed in dinosaur or penguin outfits, others wore nothing but underwear or bathing suits at the...

Infant Who Survived 1920s Sideshow Incubator Dies at 96

Doctor says he kept thousands of babies alive on Coney Island midway

(Newser) - Lucille Conlin Horn weighed barely two pounds when she was born prematurely, a perilous size for any infant, especially in 1920. Doctors told her parents to hold off on a funeral for her twin sister who had died at birth, expecting Horn too would soon be gone. But her life...

Aerosmith Guitarist Collapses During Concert

Joe Perry hospitalized during Hollywood Vampires gig

(Newser) - Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has been taken to a hospital after he was forced to leave the stage while performing in New York City. Perry became ill around 9:30pm Sunday while performing with Johnny Depp and Alice Cooper in his side band, the Hollywood Vampires , at Ford Amphitheater in...

Toilet Paper Being Rationed in Coney Island Bathrooms
Toilet Paper Being Rationed in Coney Island Bathrooms
spare a square?

Toilet Paper Being Rationed in Coney Island Bathrooms

Women asked to form 'ration lines'; men get none at all: New York Post

(Newser) - New York City’s financial woes seem to be taking a toll on its toilets: Public restroom attendants are rationing toilet paper on the Coney Island boardwalk, the New York Post reports following an on-site investigation. With dispensers left empty, women must form “ration lines” to get their squares,...

Kobayashi Freed After Night in Brooklyn Jail
Kobayashi Freed After Night in Brooklyn Jail
UPDATED

Kobayashi Freed After Night in Brooklyn Jail

Hot dog-eating champ says he jumped onstage 'in heat of it'

(Newser) - Japanese eating champion Takeru Kobayashi has been freed after a night in a New York jail over a hot dog scuffle. Kobayashi wore a black T-shirt bearing the message "Free Kobi" as he pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn today to charges of obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, trespassing,...

Kobayashi Arrested After Chestnut Wins Hot Dog Contest

Joey Chestnut repeats as Nathan's champion

(Newser) - Joey Chestnut won the Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest today at Coney Island but had to share the spotlight with archrival Takeru Kobayashi, who did not compete and was arrested for trespassing at the end of the event, reports the New York Post . Chestnut gobbled "only" 54 dogs...

CNN Duped by 140-Year-Old Hot Dog

Relic stunt was in tradition of 'Coney Island ballyhoo,' historians say

(Newser) - CNN happily ran a story recently on a 140-year-old hot dog and bun discovered intact, encased in ice, during demolition of the restaurant where the first hot dog was supposedly made. But the news network apparently forgetting that not everything is as it seems on Coney Island. The “1st...

Coney Island Muscleman, 104, Killed by Minivan

'Kid Dundee' could lift 450 pounds with his teeth

(Newser) - A famed Coney Island strongman was cut down by a minivan at the age of 104 yesterday as he returned home with his daily newspapers from a Brooklyn deli. Joe Rollino, known as "Kid Dundee" in his boardwalk heyday, "was a relic in the neighborhood," said a...

5-Legged Puppy Has Amputation to Foil Suit

(Newser) - And you thought the story of the five-legged puppy and the Coney Island freak show couldn't get any stranger. The woman who swooped in at the last minute to save Lily from the fate of becoming a public spectacle says the dog has had her fifth leg amputated, the Charlotte ...

5-Legged Pup Saved From Freak Show

(Newser) - A good-hearted pet lover paid $4,000 to outbid a Coney Island operator to save a five-legged puppy from life in a freak show, reports the New York Daily News. North Carolinian Allyson Siegel, 45, called the owner of the Chihuahua terrier mix when she learned the puppy would be...

Nathan's Champ Scarfs 68 Dogs to Defend Title

Joey Chestnut retains his belt in Nathan's annual contest

(Newser) - Champion eater Joey Chestnut pulled off a three-peat by downing 68 hot dogs in Nathan's Coney Island contest yesterday, the New York Daily News reports. Chestnut's rival Takeru Kobayashi consumed a mere 64 franks in the annual faceoff. There was little suspense during the 10-minute bout, as Chestnut developed a...

Coney Island Rides Hit Auction Block

Coney Island rides on sale online today

(Newser) - Ever dreamed of owning your own theme-park ride? With 10 of Coney Island’s famed Astroland Park rides now for sale online, your chance has arrived, the New York Post reports. The Astrotower will set you back $99,000, while the Top Spin will leave your wallet $499,000 lighter....

Coney Island's Astroland to Shut Down

Owner of legendary amusement park can't strike deal on lease

(Newser) - The iconic Astroland, one of two theme parks on New York’s Coney Island, will close for good on Sunday, the New York Post reports. Owner Carol Albert said she couldn't strike a lease deal with the 46-year-old site's developer and landlord. The park’s historic (and bruising) Cyclone rollercoaster...

Coney Island Gets Political With Waterboarding Demo

New sideshow installation protests torture

(Newser) - Coney Island's politically charged addition to its sideshow lineup—two animatronic figures demonstrating how waterboarding works—"is disturbing in a way that journalistic accounts of torture can only approximate," writes Jeremy Gerard of Bloomberg. "It left me wrecked." For $1, spectators can peer through a barred...

Coney Island on Track for Ritzy Makeover

Fans grumble at cyclone-speed gentrification

(Newser) - Landmark Brooklyn amusement park Coney Island is set to undergo a major makeover as an upscale techno-theme park with ritzy retail space and timeshare towers, the Washington Post reports. Thor Equities bought much of the six-block thrill park and officials hope to launch the $1.5B renovation in 18 months—...

American Pigs Out on Dogs, Sets Record

Coney Island contest goes against Kobayashi for first time in 6 years

(Newser) - In a glorious tribute to the Founding Fathers, an American shattered the world hot-dog-eating record today, polishing off 66 franks and buns in 12 minutes in the annual Nathan's Famous contest in Coney Island, NY. Joey Chestnut, 23, held off Japanese competitive-eating legend Takeru Kobayashi to upset the six-time defending...

20 Stories