NYC NOW - Evening Roundup: NYC’s Summer Youth Employment Program A.T.M. Scam, Outrage Over Pedestrian Safety in Sunset Park, and “A Chorus Line” Turns 50

Episode Date: July 25, 2025

New York City officials are investigating a reported ATM scam involving payment cards issued through the city's Summer Youth Employment Program. Plus, Sunset Park residents are calling for the city to improve pedestrian safety along Third Avenue where two men were recently killed. And finally, The iconic Broadway musical “A Chorus Line” is turning 50 and it changed Broadway forever.

The mystery of New York City's summer youth employment program ATM scam. Outrage over pedestrian safety along 3rd Avenue in Sunset Park. And Broadway's iconic musical, A Chorus Line, turns 50. From WNYC, this is NYC Now. I'm Junae Pierre. New York City officials say they're investigating a reported ATM scam involving payment cards issued through the city's summer youth employment program. The scam went viral on social media earlier this month.

The Department of Youth and Community Development says scammers have targeted participants who are paid through cards rather than direct deposit. The New York Times reports card users withdrew $17 million from ATMs across the city over three days. It says tens of thousands of dollars were withdrawn from some machines. Officials say no taxpayer money was lost. They're still looking into who's responsible and the total number of cards affected. Sunset Park residents and elected officials are once again calling for the city to improve pedestrian safety along 3rd Avenue in the neighborhood. This comes after two men were struck and killed on the road earlier this month.

WMYC's been fewer heard reported the story, and Ben, this has been a persistent problem on 3rd Avenue in Sunset Park, right? Yeah, so according to local officials like the state senator and city council member there, there have been 80 people killed or seriously injured along a two-mile strike. of 3rd Avenue since 2018. And it's actually something that we've covered here before. Our colleague, Bridget Bergen, covered how dangerous the road is and the community's pushed for a redesign that could improve safety back in May months before these two people were killed a few weeks ago. And the issue was really back at the forefront in the neighborhood since the two men were

killed by a hit-and-run driver on July 11th. Wow. Tell me more about that accident on July 11th. Yeah, police say a 23-year-old was speeding down 3rd Avenue, which runs under the Guantas Expressway and ran a red light. He crashed it to these two men, one of whom was 80 years old on 3rd Avenue, near 52nd Street, and killed them both. And it happened pretty early in the morning around 4 a.m. Nick Driver drove off, but he was later arrested and charged with a manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Ben, what are community members and elected officials saying, you know, now that this has happened? Yeah, so on Wednesday, there was a rally at 60th Street in 3rd Avenue. The local city council members,

and state senator were really urging the city to take action to implement a real overhaul of the road to improve safety. The state senator, Andrew Ginnardis, at one point, pointed to a portable traffic sign that warned drivers to wash out for pedestrians. And he said the city put the sign up a week ago and was pretty angry at that response. We should all be offended, offended, angry, insulted that the response from our city to two deaths, blocks away from here is a sign that says, be careful. And the backstory here is that local community board approved a street redesign that would reduce traffic on 3rd Avenue and add protected bike lanes. They approved the plan last year, but the redesign is completely stalled under the Adams administration. Okay, so certainly the Adams administration does know about this issue in Sunset Park.

What is city council saying about where that redesign stands now? So we asked them, and they responded with a pretty boilerplate language about how they're committed to the safety of New Yorkers, whether they're walking, biking, etc. And they said they're awaiting more community feedback until they make a decision on whether or not to overhaul the roadway and add these safety protections. That's WMYC's Benfewer heard. The iconic musical, A Chorus Line, is turning 50. After the break, we look at its impact on New York's theater district over the years. Stay close. 50 years ago today, on July 25th, a chorus line opened on Broadway.

It's the story of dancers auditioning for the chorus of a new musical. A chorus line became a singular sensation. Not only did it run for 15 years, it had the most performances of any Broadway show up to that time. Plus, it had an enormous influence on how musicals were created and helped change the fortunes of New York's Theatre District. Reporter Jeff London has more. When audiences entered the Schubert Theater in 1970, they didn't see an elaborate set or a velvet curtain.

They saw a black box with a white line in the front and a bunch of performers in rehearsal clothes doing a dance routine. Again, step, kick, shake, feet, kick, touch. Again, step. Theater historian Lawrence Maslon says Broadway really hadn't seen anything like it. It really shouldn't have worked on any level because it took every convention of the American musical and turned it inside out.

From the top, on five, six, seven, eight. A chorus line was the brainchild of director choreographer Michael Bennett, who gathered some of his favorite dancers in aloft for an all-night rap session. After a dance class, they sat in a circle on a rug with a jug of bad red wine and told their stories. Bennett recorded the conversation

and used it as the basis of the show. Donna McKekney originated the role of Cassie. She well remembers that night. So he started with essentially the three questions that the director, Zach, asked the auditioners, the dancers, when they first stand on the line. Just tell me, you know, say your name, where you're from, and why did you become a dancer? I'm watching Sisko Pitipat. Said, I could do that. I could do that.

Armed with hours of reel-to-reel tape, Michael Bennett told W.HYY's fresh air in 1986. I went to Joe Papp, who was the New York Shakespeare Festival, and I said, I have an idea, and would you let me work on it for a while, like in a workshop thing, and see if I can make a play. And then, of course, became a musical. Pap, who wasn't a fan of commercial theater, was intrigued and said yes. A chorus line was developed over a couple of workshops at. Papp's Public Theater. Bennett brought in composer Marvin Hamlisch and lyricist Edward Kleeban to write the songs. Donna McKekney says when they sang at the ballet, she got chills. But everything was beautiful at the ballet. This song is so accurate, so perfect and so beautiful,

so touching. And I thought this is going to be a work of art. The run at the public theater sold out and the show quickly transferred to Broadway. Byerk Lee played Connie in the original cast. She says the Verisimilitude couldn't be faked. We were the first reality show because we played ourselves. And those are our words that were on the tapes. We are authors of the show. Lee has restaged and re-choreographed the show

many times over the past 50 years, not just in the United States, but abroad. Back in 1975, the theater district was run down and dangerous, but a chorus line's enormous popularity helped change things, says Oscar Eustace, the current artistic director of the public theater. I arrived in New York in 1975. Two-thirds of the Broadway theaters were dark, and chorus line started the process of Broadway reviving itself. One, singular sensation, every little step she takes. And, of course, after a chorus line,

many shows used workshops to develop material, like Hamilton, which will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on Broadway this summer, and which started on the very same stage at the public theater. One of those things those two shows really had in common, which is they instantly struck a need that the audience didn't know they had. Biarke Lee is staging a 50th anniversary performance on Sunday. She says this story of dancers vying for an anonymous job as members of the chorus

always hits home with audiences. And as much as she loves the whole show, one song always hits home with her. To really touch my heart is what I did for love. because that's why we do it. And 50 years later, that passion and dedication to chasing your Broadway dream still resonates. That's Jeff London. Thanks for listening to NYC Now from WMYC. I'm Jenae Pierre. Have a great weekend.