National news briefs

Officer's first arrest minutes into career

NEW YORK — A New York Police Department rookie just couldn't wait to get started.

One of the NYPD's newest officers has made his first arrest just minutes after graduating from the Police Academy in a ceremony at Madison Square Garden.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says 23-year-old Officer Dariel Firpo is "off to a great start."

A police spokesman says Firpo was leaving Thursday afternoon's ceremony when he saw a 79-year-old man being robbed of his wallet and thrown to the ground by a mugger in midtown Manhattan.

Police say the mugger tried to run away but Firpo caught him without incident.

400,000 cribs post suffocation hazard

WASHINGTON — About 400,000 Simplicity drop side cribs were recalled Thursday for posing a suffocation hazard.

The Chinese-made crib's hardware can break or deform, allowing the drop side to detach. This creates a gap between the mattress and the side of the crib, where a small child could be trapped and suffocate, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Cribs that were fixed after the 2007 recall to hold the drop side in place are safe, according to the CPSC. But cribs recalled Thursday or last September do not have a fix and can be returned to the place of purchase for a refund, replacement or store credit.

Deaths on U.S. roads fewest since 1961

WASHINGTON — Fewer people died on the nation's highways during the first three months of 2009 as motor vehicle fatalities continued to fall to levels not seen in nearly a half-century.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday about 7,689 motorists were killed in the months of January through March, a 9 percent decline from a year ago.

Reporting ahead of the July 4 holiday, a busy period on the nation's roadways, the government estimated that 37,261 motorists died in 2008, the fewest since 1961. If the 2009 fatality trends continue, fewer than 31,000 people will die this year.

Highway safety officials also reported a decline in the fatality rate, the number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. It fell to 1.27 in 2008, the lowest on record, from 1.36 in 2007. The rate dropped to 1.12 during the first three months of 2009.

Experts have attributed the declines to the economic recession, record-high seat-belt use and fewer people driving.

New charge added against N.Y. mother

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — Prosecutors have added a child endangerment charge against a Long Island, N.Y., mother accused of posting a suggestive Craigslist ad to target a 9-year-old girl.