PHILIP MARCELO

New York City reporter

Marcelo is a general assignment reporter in the NYC bureau. He previously wrote for AP Fact Check and before that was based in Boston, where he focused on race and immigration.
This image rendering from Resorts World shows the Resorts World casino, owned by Malaysian casino giant Genting, a $5.5-billion investment to its gaming facility at the Aqueduct Racetrack in the Queens borough of New York. (Resorts World via AP)
Inside the high-stakes battle to win a New York City casino license
Eight projects are vying for a state license to operate a casino in the lucrative New York City market.
 
A vehicle stops at Terminal 1 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Feb. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Woman convicted of stowing away on flight to Paris faces extradition to Connecticut
A woman convicted of stowing away on a flight from New York to Paris without a boarding pass or a passport won’t be released from custody.
 
In this Thursday, March 2, 2017 photo, accused MS-13 gang member Alexi Saenz, is escorted by FBI agents in Central Islip, N.Y., after being taken into custody. (James Carbone/Newsday via AP, File)
An MS-13 leader is sentenced to 68 years in case involving 8 Long Island murders
The leader of an MS-13 gang clique in New York City’s suburbs has been sentenced to 68 years in prison in a federal case involving eight Long Island murders, including the 2016 killings of two high school girls.
 
Revelers crowd the sidewalk and peer from windowsills during the Pride March on Sunday, June 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Olga Fedorova)
NYC, San Francisco and other US cities cap LGBTQ+ Pride month with a mix of party and protest
The monthlong celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride has reached its crescendo as New York and other major cities around the world hosted major parades and marches.
 
Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, center left, appears on stage with his wife, Rama, mother, Mira Nair Duwaji, left, and father, Mahmood Mamdani, at his primary election party, in New York, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Zohran Mamdani had been a state lawmaker unknown even to most New Yorkers before announcing his run for mayor.
 
Members of the Goya family wait for a ride, with their belongings, in front of the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
New York City closes arrival center for migrants in once grand Manhattan hotel
New York City has closed the arrival center for migrants it had established in a once grand Manhattan hotel.
 
The Unit 2 reactor at Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, N.Y., is seen, April 26, 2021, almost one year after it was shut down. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
New York governor seeks to build the state’s first new nuclear power plant in decades
New York’s governor is calling for the construction of the state’s first new nuclear power plant in decades. Gov.
 
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil speaks after his release from federal immigration detention in Jena, La., Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Columbia protester Mahmoud Khalil freed from immigration detention
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been released from federal immigration detention. The former Columbia University graduate student left a federal facility in Louisiana on Friday after 104 days in custody.
 
Twin sisters Emma Leibowitz, left, and Kayla Leibowitz attend rehearsal for Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School's graduation ceremony at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo)
15 sets of twins are graduating from one New York high school
A high school in the New York City suburbs has a high number of twins set to graduate this year. Among the 447 seniors at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F.
 
Doug Corwin, president of Crescent Duck, picks up one of his ducks at the Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue, N.Y., Thursday, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Ducks return to a Long Island farm that lost its entire flock to the bird flu
Long Island’s last commercial duck farm is rebuilding after a bird flu outbreak forced the destruction of its entire 100,000-bird flock in January.
 
Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is seen at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the Columbia University campus in New York, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
Mahmoud Khalil can remain jailed over claims he lied on green card application, judge says
A federal judge says the Trump administration can continue to detain Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil on allegations that he lied on his green card application.
 
The casket of former Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., lies in state in the rotunda of New York's City Hall, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Mourners pay respects to late US Rep. Charles Rangel as his body lies in state at New York City Hall
Mourners are paying their respects to former U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel as his body lies in state at New York City Hall.
 
Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is seen at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the Columbia University campus in New York, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
Judge says government must release Columbia protester Mahmoud Khalil, but has until Friday to appeal
A federal judge has ruled that the government cannot deport and must release Mahmoud Khalil, the student whom the Trump administration jailed over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University.
 
New York police officers arrest John Woeltz, Friday, May 23, 2025, in New York, who was charged with kidnapping, assaulting and holding a man against his will for several weeks in an upscale Manhattan town house.(AP Photo/Kava Gorna via AP)
Photos show accuser in NYC crypto kidnapping leaving house freely, defense lawyers say
Lawyers for two crypto investors charged with kidnapping a man for his Bitcoin say they have evidence showing the accuser “laughing and smiling” and moving about Manhattan freely during the days he claimed he was kept captive and tortured in a posh SoHo town house.
 
Authorities work at the home of suspect Rex Heuermann, bottom right, in Massapequa Park, N.Y., July 24, 2023. Heuermann has been charged with killing at least three women in the long-unsolved slayings known as the Gilgo Beach killings. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Daughter of accused Gilgo Beach killer believes her father ‘most likely’ did it, new film says
The daughter of Rex Heuermann, the accused Gilgo Beach serial killer, told a new documentary she believes her father “most likely” responsible.
 
Nicole Daedone, center, founder and former CEO of OneTaste, departs Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 in New York. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File)
Leaders of ‘orgasmic meditation’ women’s wellness company OneTaste convicted in forced labor trial
The leaders of a sex-focused women’s wellness company that promoted “orgasmic meditation” have been convicted of federal forced labor charges.
 
Harvey Weinstein appears for his retrial at a Manhattan court, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, Pool)
Judge denies Harvey Weinstein’s bid for mistrial after juror complains
A judge has denied Harvey Weinstein’s request for a mistrial after a juror complained of issues in the deliberations.
 
Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is seen at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the Columbia University campus in New York, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
Detained Columbia graduate claims ‘irreparable harm’ to career and family as he pleads for release
A Columbia graduate facing deportation over his pro-Palestinian activism on campus has outlined the “irreparable harm” caused by his continued detention as a federal judge weighs his release.
 
Chiefs signs and logos are displayed Massapequa High School in Massapequa, N.Y., Friday, April 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
New York won’t rescind Native American mascot ban despite Trump’s threat of cutting federal funds
New York education officials have refused to rescind the state’s ban on Native American mascots and team names, despite threats from the Trump administration that it risks losing federal funding.
 
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, center, joined by local elected officials speaks during a visit to Massapequa High School, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Massapequa, N.Y. (Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday via AP)
Trump’s education secretary threatens to pull funding from NY over its Native American mascot ban
President Donald Trump’s top education official says her department has determined that New York is discriminating against a school district that is refusing a state order to get rid of its Native American chief mascot.
 
Policías de Nueva York arrestan a John Woeltz, acusado de secuestrar, atacar y retener a un hombre contra su voluntad por varias semanas en una lujosa casa de Manhattan, el viernes 23 de mayo de 2025, en Nueva York. (AP Foto/Kava Gorna vía AP)
NYPD probing detectives who worked security at house where man says he was tortured, AP source says
New York City police are investigating two detectives who worked security at an upscale Manhattan townhouse where an Italian man was kidnapped and tortured for weeks by two crypto investors who wanted to steal his Bitcoin.
 
Lights are on at the world headquarters of Goldman Sachs in New York on Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
Ex-Goldman Sachs banker gets 2 years in prison for plot to fleece billions from Malaysia’s 1MDB fund
A former Goldman Sachs banker has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for his role in a $4.5 billion scheme to ransack a Malaysian state investment fund.
 
Nancy Marks leaves federal court, Oct. 5, 2023, in Central Islip, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, file)
George Santos’ former treasurer sentenced to probation over bogus campaign finance reports
George Santos’ former campaign treasurer has been sentenced to three years’ probation for her role in fabricating campaign finance reports for the disgraced ex-congressman from New York.
 
Signs, including some advising drivers of congestion pricing tolls, are displayed near the exit of the Lincoln Tunnel in New York, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Judge temporarily blocks Trump from retaliating against New York over congestion toll
A federal judge has temporarily prevented President Donald Trump from retaliating against New York over its Manhattan congestion toll.
 
Former New York state trooper Thomas Mascia leaves Nassau County court in Mineola, N.Y. on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, after pleading guilty to charges that he shot himself and lied about it. (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo)
Former New York state trooper pleads guilty to faking his own shooting
A former New York state trooper has pleaded guilty to charges that he shot himself then falsely claimed he was wounded by an unknown gunman on a Long Island highway.
 
This undated photo provided by the Library of Congress shows the Thomas Indian school in Irving, N.Y. (Library of Congress via AP)
NY governor apologizes for ‘atrocities’ at state boarding school for Native Americans
New York’s governor has formally apologized for the “atrocities” she says were committed at an upstate boarding school where Native American youths were forcibly separated from their families and forced to assimilate into American society.
 
Kaja Sokol arrives at Manhattan criminal court before the start of Harvey Weinstein's trial in New York, on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Bing Guan/Pool Photo via AP)
Ex-model testifying that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her questioned about private journal
A former model testifying in Harvey Weinstein’s retrial on sexual assault charges has been questioned about a private journal she wrote a decade ago.
 
In this photo taken from video, a helicopter falls from the sky into the Hudson River , Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Jersey City, N.J. (Bruce Wall via AP)
New report shows NYC helicopter breaking apart in midair before crash that killed 6
Federal officials have released images showing a helicopter as it broke apart midair and crashed in New York last month, killing six people.
 
A New York City police officer keeps watch on the campus of Columbia University in New York, Monday, May 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Columbia University lays off nearly 180 after Trump pulled $400M over his antisemitism concerns
Columbia University is laying off nearly 180 staffers in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel $400 million in funding over the Manhattan college’s handling of student protests against the war in Gaza.
 
Kehlani arrives at the 67th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Kehlani’s Central Park concert canceled after NYC mayor raises security concerns
Kehlani’s planned concert in Central Park next month has been canceled after New York City’s mayor raised security concerns about the R&B star’s performance during Pride Week.
 
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