On Halloween night 11 years ago, New Yorkers were taken by storm after learning about the elaborate story of Peter Braunstein.

The high-intelligence former journalist and playwright, now 52, became known as the “Halloween rapist” after concocting a bogus scene wherein he donned smoke eater gear and entered an apartment complex — with the aim of overpowering his female victim. The ensuing case led to a city-wide then national manhunt that ended in multiple stab wounds to Braunstein’s neck. This is the story of that fateful October night and the ensuing “chase.”(nydailynews.com)…[+]

A pack of Pennsylvania tourists were taken for a ride by an unlicensed pedicab driver who charged them nearly $500 for a 15-block trip in Midtown.

The group, mostly teens in town for a 15th birthday celebration with two adult chaperones, were hit with a $492 bill by the “bully” pedicab operator, according to the tourists and industry reps. The 13-person trip on Oct. 22 included three separate pedis on one bill — and should have cost around $72 total even with the extra legwork, according to industry experts. “These pedicab scams happen every day,” fumed Ibrahim Donmez, head of the New York Pedicab Network, an industry group.(nydailynews.com)…[+]

An NYPD cop being sued for restraining 16-year-old Kimani Gray after he was shot seven times by police, secured the dying youth’s hands behind his back with pink-colored handcuffs, according to court papers.

It is unclear why Police Officer John Hoder was carrying the unusual handcuffs. But it was apparently a well-known fact among his fellow officers that the pink bracelets belonged to him when they were questioned as to how they knew who had restrained Gray. “I don’t know if he used pink cuffs to demean (someone under arrest) or if it’s something allowed by the police for some other reason,” said lawyer Richard Cardinale, who represents Gray’s motehr in a federal lawsuit alleging excessive force and illegal handcuffing.(nydailynews.com)…[+]

Nearly two-thirds of voters are unswayed by the recent news that the FBI has reopened its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, a new poll shows.

According to an ABC News / Washington Post poll released Sunday, 63% of likely voters said the revelation Friday from FBI Director James Comey that the bureau had found a new batch of emails “pertinent” to the probe it had closed in July and would reopen the investigation had no bearing on the way they would vote next month.

Another 34% of respondents said the news made them less likely to vote for Clinton, while 2% said it made them more likely to vote for her.(nydailynews.com)…[+]

An Alaska cop died Friday due to complications from surgery, two weeks after he was shot while on duty — a shooting he predicted while reading bedtime stories to his children.

Sgt. Allen Brandt of the Fairbanks Police Department underwent remedial eye surgery after being shot on Oct. 16.

“Fairbanks lost a hero today,” Deputy Police Chief Brad Johnson said at a news conference, holding back tears.

“Sgt. Allen Brandt lost the fight. He had surgery yesterday and suffered complications afterward, which continued to deteriorate though the day and from which he was unable to recover,” Johnson said.(nydailynews.com)…[+]

An Indiana teen who served six years in prison for helping to kill his friend’s stepfather when he was 12 was resentenced Friday, and could return home to his mother as early as February. Whitley County Judge James Heuer resentenced Paul Gingerich, now 18, on Friday to serve 300 days in a medium-security correctional facility and to participate in community programs that could shave 120 days from his sentence if he shows good conduct, his attorney, Monica Foster, said. With good behavior, he could be released after 90 days. Gingerich would remain under electronic surveillance until 2020 with 10 years of probation afterward, The Indianapolis Star reported.(nydailynews.com)…[+]