Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Troublesome Tortoise Burns Bay Ridge Apartment
By
Garth Johnston
Published Mar 22, 2011
Modified Mar 22, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Garth Johnston
Published Mar 22, 2011
Modified Mar 22, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Do we need to start worrying about tricky tortoises now too? On Sunday afternoon, while his owners were out, Giovani the Tortoise, a six-year-old African spurred sulcata tortoise, tried to make a run for it. But his prison break went bad when he knocked over his terrarium sending its heat lamp into a pile of flammable art supplies. Instead of tasting freedom, Giovani ended up tasting smoke and ash—and burned down his family's Bay Ridge apartment while he was at it.
Three police officers and one firefighter (out of the 60 who showed up to fight the blaze) had to be treated for smoke inhalation, but no humans were seriously hurt in the 30-minute fire. And though Giovani got out ok (a firefighter found him in the kitchen), one reptile wasn't as lucky. Giovani's owner, 18-year-old BMCC student Mohamed Salem also owned a water-dwelling turtle who was unable to make it out of its tank. Possibly that was Giovani's plan all along?
Meanwhile Giovani's family, clearly under the spell of the spark-happy reptile, is doubtful of the FDNY's theory of the fire-starting tortoise. Mohamed's father Ibrahim Salem, who was initially told by authorities the fire was electrical, seemed especially in thrall to the slow-and-steady creature. "How he make the fire?" he asked a Post reporter "while patting Giovani's shell and tickling his feet."
Tagged
bay ridge
brooklyn
fdny
fire
giovani the tortoise
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
2 dead, several injured after building collapse in Flatbush, Brooklyn, FDNY says
The three-story building collapsed near the intersection of Flatbush and Bedford aves.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
,
Hannah Frishberg
and
David Brand
Published Nov 11, 2026 at 6:10 p.m. ET
Modified Nov 11, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET
Manhattan’s East Side loses another movie theater to development
Cinema 123 by Angelika closed on Oct. 30 after more than 60 years of business.
By
Hannah Frishberg
News
Manhattan’s East Side loses another movie theater to development
Cinema 123 by Angelika closed on Oct. 30 after more than 60 years of business.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Teen arrested for fatal shooting of 15-year-old Bronx boy walking to school, NYPD says
By
Hannah Frishberg
Wind, rain, maybe snowflakes: It's about to get chilly around NYC
By
Giulia Heyward
NYC sanitation supervisors keep speeding on the job, data shows
By
Liam Quigley
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .