A paroled child molester’s new home in the Bronx was too close to an elementary school for the comfort of 76-year-old Edith Blitzer, who learned about the perv Roland Marrero's arrival via email.
By Denis Slattery AND Larry Mcshane / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Edith Blitzer, 76, alerted parole officials after she found that Roland Marrero, a convicted sex offender, was living at 2145 Matthews Ave. in the Bronx near an elementary school, in violation of state law. 'I honestly don’t like to use the computer that much,' said Blitzer, a mother of five and grandmother of eight. 'I knew something wasn’t right.' Authorities evicted Marrero from the apartment.
A paroled child molester’s new home in the Bronx was too close to an elementary school for the comfort of one eagle-eyed grandmother.
Authorities evicted Roland Marrero, 28, from his apartment near Public School 357 in Bronxdale on Friday after 76-year-old Edith Blitzer learned of the convict’s arrival in her neighborhood via an email alert.
“It really concerned me when I saw the address. . . . I knew something wasn’t right.”
Marrero landed in the apartment building in Blitzer’s neighborhood after state officials failed to notice that the nearby grammar school had just opened in September.
“There are young kids, kindergartners, that go there,” said Blitzer, who is president of the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association. “This is an area with a lot of hardworking people trying to raise families. They have enough to worry about without this.”
Roland Marrero, formerly of Rockland County, had managed to live at the Matthews Ave. address — less than 700 feet from the entrance to an elementary school — for three days without neighbors in the building knowing. State prison officials declined to comment on the blunder, and would not say where Marrero relocated.
Marrero, formerly of Rockland County, was imprisoned in March 2009 after pleading guilty to first-degree sodomy of the child. He came to the Bronx a few days ago after getting sprung from the Gowanda Correctional Facility in western New York, and was permitted to move into a four-story building in Bronxdale despite a state law barring sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school.
Marrero’s apartment at 2145 Matthews Ave. was less than 700 feet from the entrance to P.S. 357, which is on Lydig Ave., between Matthews Ave. and Barnes Ave.
State prison officials declined to comment on the blunder, and would not say where Marrero relocated after Blitzer sounded the alarm. As a registered sex offender, he must submit his new address to the state.
Blitzer had the opportunity to learn about Marrero’s arrival in her neighborhood thanks to 2010 legislation sponsored by state Sen. Jeff Klein, who quickly took action after hearing from Blitzer about Marrero’s new digs.
“It’s important that we keep dangerous sexual predators away from our schools,” said Klein, a Bronx Democrat who serves as co-leader of the state Senate. “Parents or anyone should know who is living in their neighborhood.”
Neighbors in the building Marrero had called home were aghast to learn that he lived in their midst — even if only for three days.
“I’m absolutely shocked,” said Tia Njie, 27, a mother of two. “It’s scary. You think that you’re safe in your own building, but you never know what could happen.”
A Google Maps view of 2145 Matthews Ave. in the Bronx where Marrero was living within 680 feet of an elementary school, P.S. 357 at 800 Lydig Ave., the scaffolded building under construction at the bottom left corner.
Malot Sinisntaj, a father of four, shared her concerns.
“There are a lot of children in the building,” said Sinisntaj, 40, who moved into the Bronx apartment house 14 years ago. “I’m just glad that someone caught it in time.”
Under Klein’s legislation, New Yorkers can register to receive email notifications any time a Level 2 or Level 3 sex offender moves into their zip code.
Klein said that in light of the Marrero case he planned to introduce another bill requiring state corrections officials to annually update the list of schools to prevent a recurrence.
Blitzer and her husband, Irving, 84, moved into the neighborhood about four decades ago. She’s a member of the local community board, and enjoys a reputation for helping her neighbors.
“I do what I can to help,” she said.
The septuagenarian said she believes in both rehabilitation and relocation in this case.
“Everyone deserves a second chance, but depending on the crime committed and the neighborhood,” she said.
dslattery@nydailynews.com
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