While walking home from the Lynbrook train station last September, Battaglia was shot and stabbed to death. Blessinger, who recently became the vice president of his family-owned All Island taxi service, decided after this disturbing incident to provide commuters free rides to their cars. The 24-hour, seven-days-a-week service allows cautious commuters to step off a train and hop into cabs that will take them to their cars parked at or near train stations where Blessinger-s cab hubs are located.
These include All Island Taxi in Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, Merrick, Mineola and Little Neck, McRides in Island Park and Freeport, and Ollie-s taxi in Hewlett. While many commuters use taxi services from train stations rather than risk walking home and becoming a criminal-s victim, Blessinger-s program takes this precaution one step further by making commuters feel safe when even a walk to their cars may be dangerous.
One of the main reasons I-m doing this program is because it can be a very long walk from one end of the station to the other, Blessinger said. The stations are also very dark; they-re not very well lit up at night. So if you feel uncomfortable walking to your car, you can come to our stations under or near the tracks, and we-ll drive you to your car free of charge.
With taxi hubs in several locations throughout Nassau County, Blessinger has heard often enough about the larcenies, muggings, beatings and other crimes that occur around the train stations, which he believes have been on the rise. Just last week, an attempted robbery and beating occurred near Blessinger-s McRides hub in Island Park.
A commuter was walking home from the Island Park train station when he was confronted by two teenage white males, one of whom held a wooden stick. They demanded money from the victim and struck him on the back of the neck, injuring him, before fleeing.
That-s a real tragedy, Blessinger said when he learned of the incident. With this new program started, if I can save one person from getting robbed, or God forbid, from getting killed, it-s worth it.
Caryn Battaglia, the widow of the slain Lynbrook man, thinks the program is a terrific way to reach out to the community. It-s very considerate to offer this service to help people feel safe, she told the Herald, and it will bring a feeling of comfort to families who have loved ones coming in late on the trains.
Blessinger initiated the program the week of March 7, and thanks to a press release he distributed, TV reports on channels 5, 7 and 12 have spread the word about it.
We-ve received very positive feedback from all the different communities in regard to this program, Battaglia said. A lot of people have been asking questions about the service, and I think soon more people are going to take more advantage of it.
Said Caryn Battaglia, It just proves that when something bad happens, it can bring out the best in so many people.
