14 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 20, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Local elected offi cials, community leaders, and Resorts World brass offi cially break ground on the
casino’s $400M expansion project.
Resorts World Casino to being $400M
expansion to add 400-room hotel
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
agiudice@qns.com
@A_GiudiceReport
Queens’ only casino will be building
brand new amenities for the over 10 million
Alleged drunk driver charged in deadly Grand Central crash
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
On their way home aft er celebrating a
wedding, an alleged drunk driver from
New Jersey drove two of his acquaintances
to their deaths in a four-vehicle pileup
on the Grand Central Parkway in Jamaica
on Sunday morning, according to Queens
District Attorney Richard A. Brown.
Andrew Shakespeare, 33, of Roselle,
NJ, was booked for manslaughter, drunk
driving and other charges for his role in
the deadly accident that occurred at about
6:24 a.m. on July 16 along the westbound
lanes of the Grand Central Parkway near
the 188th Street exit.
According to authorities, Shakespeare
was allegedly behind the wheel of a 2014
BMW X5 SUV. He had several acquaintances
in the vehicle with him, including
Layon Campbell, 34, of Brooklyn, who
was riding in the front passenger seat;
Akeam Grant, 16, of Brooklyn, who was
in the rear; and an unidentifi ed 21-yearold
man, also riding in the rear.
Th e chain reaction crash, police said,
started when Shakespeare — whose vehicle
was allegedly going an estimated 76
mph on the westbound lanes — sideswiped
a 2002 Nissan Sentra while changing
lanes.
The impact reportedly caused
Shakespeare to lose control of his vehicle,
which then swerved across three
lanes of traffi c and smashed into a 2016
Nissan Rogue. Both the BMW and the
Nissan Rogue then slammed into the center
guardrail, crossed over the parkway’s
eastbound lanes and fl ipped over.
A fourth vehicle — a 2012 Mercedes
Benz SUV heading eastbound on the
Grand Central Parkway — attempted to
swerve out of the way but was ultimately
hit by the BMW. Th e Mercedes Benz
wound up on the right shoulder embankment,
then struck two trees and fl ipped
over onto the driver’s side.
Responding officers noticed that
Shakespeare near the vehicle and that he
had bloodshot, watery eyes, Brown said.
Offi cers also noticed a smell of alcohol
from his vehicle and numerous alcoholic
beverage containers outside of the SUV.
Campbell suffered trauma about
the head and body and was rushed to
Elmhurst Hospital, where he later died.
Grant, who had been ejected from the
SUV, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Th e 21-year-old man in Shakespeare’s
SUV was hospitalied with a laceration to
his right arm.
Shakespeare was brought to Long
Island Jewish Medical Center, where he
was treated for a minor head injury.
Prosecutors said he allegedly refused to
submit to a portable breathalyzer test and
a blood test. Police obtained a court-authorized
warrant to administer the blood
test on Shakespeare; the results are pending,
according to Brown.
Five others involved in the four-vehicle
wreck were hospitalized with injuries that
were not life-threatening.
Police have charged Shakespeare with
two counts each of manslaughter, vehicular
manslaughter and aggravated vehicular
homicide; three counts of reckless
endangerment; and additional counts of
DWI and reckless driving.
annual visitors to Resorts World
Casino New York City in South Ozone
Park as they broke ground on a $400
million expansion project on Th ursday,
July 13.
Excitement was in the air as members
of Resorts World, including President
Scott Molina, and elected offi cials from
across the borough gathered outside the
casino, located at 110-00 Rockaway Blvd.,
for the honorary groundbreaking ceremony
commemorating the expansion
that will bring a 400-room four-star hotel,
four new dining outlets including a signature
restaurant concept by a celebrity
chef, new retail off erings, a new arrival
experience, and, of course, new games.
“We are incredibly excited to break
ground on this extraordinary project,
which will welcome visitors from around
the world to enjoy the ultimate play,
stay, dine and shop experience right here
in Queens,” Molina said. “Th e expansion
will serve as an economic engine for
our local community and the state, create
more good-paying jobs for local residents,
and generate signifi cant revenue
for New York State’s Lottery Education
Fund.”
Local leaders from south Queens
applauded Resorts World’s operations
since opening in 2011 and the positive
impact it has made on the local communities.
Resorts World currently employs 1,100
people, with more than half of those
employees coming from the surrounding
area. In addition, the casino has generated
over $1.9 billion for the New York
State Education Fund.
Th is expansion project — which is
expected to be complete by mid-2019 —
is estimated to bring in $200 million for
New York, as well as 1,000 new jobs, with
approximately 3,000 construction jobs
and thousands more indirect jobs.
“Th e expansion of the fi rst and only casino
in the city of New York is yet another
indicator of the growth underway here in
Queens,” said Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz. “In its more than fi ve years
of operations, Resorts World has proven
to be an exemplary neighbor and partner
to the surrounding community. Th e
expansion into a world-class destination
will be a boon for Queens, ushering in
thousands of new, good jobs and millions
in economic activity.”
Screenshot via YouTube/samspinchat
The scene of a deadly July 16 crash on the Grand Central Parkway in Jamaica.