Criminal law, Society

Ding-Dong Ditch: Former Bronx Prosecutor Arrested After Firing Gun In Anger Over Teen Ringing Her Bell

Former Bronx prosecutor Bernadette Greenwald, 37, has been criminally charged after she pulled a gun on a teen and fired a shot in anger over teenagers ringing her door bell in the “ding-dong ditch” game. Police say that Greenwald fired her pink 9mm handgun to show the teen she had (in her words) “balls.” Greenwald practices under her maiden name, Bernadette Nicchia.


Greenwald said that she held the teen at gunpoint after he rang her bell three times. However, the teen’s family say that Nolan LeBlanc, 17, was walking home after watching the Giants game.

Greenwald is quoted as saying “It was just kid [expletive] . . . . He thought it was a Barbie gun. I wanted to show him that it was loaded.”

She certainly did that and she is now charged with second-degree menacing, reckless endangerment and unlawful use of a weapon. She added “He was scared s–tless. That kid laughed because it’s a pink gun. He didn’t laugh after I fired it.”

Police also allege that Greenwald changed her story to police after further questioning.

Source: NY Post

25 thoughts on “Ding-Dong Ditch: Former Bronx Prosecutor Arrested After Firing Gun In Anger Over Teen Ringing Her Bell”

  1. OT —

    One result of law enforcement harassing the ‘free press’, via FDL:

    “The organization Reporters Without Borders conducts an annual ranking comparing each nation’s level of press freedom, and they’ve just dropped the U.S. rating by 27 places. The dramatic drop came as a result of the many arrests and efforts to harass reporters trying to cover the Occupy movement and the police raids of Occupy encampments.”

    http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2012/01/25/americas-press-freedom-ranking-drops-sharply/

  2. The UK has rules about toy guns not looking like real guns. Kinda makes such measures a joke having guns that look like toys.

  3. Mike & Bob, heh it’s just that 2:30 feeling. But while I agree she has issues and acted irresponsibly, I’m just as disturbed that they sell guns that look like toys as I was that they sell replica canon ball toys that can kill. As a prosecutor she should know better than to say what she did afterwards.

    While I’m not surprised that a prosecutor living alone in the Bronx would feel the need to protect herself (I assume she lives alone), it sounds as if her paranoia, rage, and phobia’s led to her overreacting. This is pretty good fodder for another Michael Moore type film on the culture of fear discussed in Bowling for Columbine. Fortunately no one was hurt or killed this time.

  4. That’s OK, Mike. I hope you’re doing well. I enjoy your guest blogs.

    But I’m still a libtard. Proud of it.

  5. there is a show on gunsmithing where they took a 9mm and made it pink for the customer. the shop is out in Colorado so I doubt it is the same weapon.

    Women and their toys.

  6. What cracks me up is that law makers went all crazy in certain states (Tri-state area) and outlawed any toy guns that were not brightly colored. Then to make this a moot point gun makers started marketing hand cannons in pretty bright colors. Classic….

  7. Mike Spindell,

    Did you read the rest of my comment?
    Sigh. I guess my attempt at dead-serious political commentary escaped you. Have another cup of coffee, please.

    1. Bob K.,

      I’m sorry. My reading of your comment did not exactly show well as examples of my reading comprehension and/or irony detection skills.

  10. Here you libtards go again. If the kid and the doorbell had both exercised their 2nd Amendment rights, and carried semi-automatic assault rifles, none of this would have happened.

    Doorbells don’t kill people! Idiots with easy access to doorbells kill people!

    So, what’s the deal, here? Was it a pink doorbell, or what?

    1. “Here you libtards go again”

      One who uses the word “libtards” has a 100% chance of being a fool. Guess you qualify Bob K.

  11. Maybe Pinkie gets turned on by Bonnie and Clyde bedroom sequence.
    What she does in her spare time with “pinkie” is her business.

    Guns and people are bad combinations. Sometime I’ll tell how I scared a “spy” at White Sands one evening practicing with my new-bought automatic.

  12. Electrify the door bell. They push it, they get shocked. Make it adult-proof.

    But seriously, next time photograph the little turds and show it on U-Tube.

    Do not sick the dog on them.

    I would not mess with Pinky myself.

  14. A better solution to the problem is to temporarily disconnect the doorbell. When a kid discovers that it doesn’t work, he takes the game elsewhere. Added advantages include saving money on expensive ammunition and expensive criminal defense lawyers.

  15. Raff,

    Her idea of a “decorative” cannon.

    If one is going to carry a pink gun, shouldn’t one be expecting challenges?

  19. I think it a reasonable assumption that she is somewhat mentally disturbed if the facts are as give.

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