NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: Queens Student Set for Release from ICE Detention, Long Island Remains Identified, and Mamdani Meets Local Power Brokers

Episode Date: July 16, 2025

Queens high school student Derlis Toaquiza is expected to be released soon after spending more than a month in immigration detention. He was taken into custody after attending a mandatory immigration hearing in Lower Manhattan. Meanwhile, remains found in a submerged vehicle on Long Island have been identified as a man who disappeared nearly 15 years ago. Plus, Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani met with New York City power brokers Tuesday to discuss affordability, public safety, and his relationship with the Jewish community.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Wednesday, July 16th. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. A Queens high schooler is expected to be released soon after spending more than a month in immigration detention. Federal agents took Derlis, Tokiza, into custody after an immigration hearing in Lower Manhattan. He had been living in Ridgewood, going to Grover, Cleveland, high school and trying out for the soccer team. A Texas judge is expected to grant his release on a $20,000 bond. His attorneys say the reason for his detention is still unclear.

Remains found in a submerged vehicle on Long Island are now identified as a man who vanished nearly 15 years ago. Double United sees Phil Corso explains. Human remains recovered from a car underwater near Mount Sinai have been identified as Robert Long, a 62-year-old man from Miller Place. He was last seen on December 21st, 2010, leaving home in an off-white PT cruiser with a support-the-trups decal on the back. He never returned. Volunteer divers found the vehicle last month using sonar. Suffolk County's Marine Bureau divers recovered the remains, and the medical examiner later confirmed the identity.

Investigators are still determining his cause of death. Democratic mayoral nominee Zeramandani yesterday met with some of New York City's premier corporate titans. of two highly anticipated meetings between 150 local power brokers and the self-proclaimed Democratic Socialists included conversations on affordability, public safety, and his relationship with the Jewish community. Kathy Wilde leads to pro-business partnership for New York City, and she organized the summit. The prospects of him being a mayor, I think, are much less scary to them than before they met him, because he is a good, communicator, a thoughtful person, and genuinely seems to want to understand and know them and their

issues. Wilde has organized a second meeting between Mamdani and business leaders. That's for later today. We're at 75 right now with mostly sunny skies out there, but we do have a heat advisory for the area kicking in later this morning. Also, high pollution levels leading to an air quality alert for the city in lower Hudson Valley. Alex. Let's be careful out there. A slim chance of mid-afternoon showers and thunderstorms, mostly sunny 88, but feeling like the mid-90s. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WMYC. Catch us every weekday three times a day for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives.

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