NYC TNB

[The Bobster]

1 dead, 3 others hurt after bullets fly at NYC baby shower: NYPD

Four men were shot — one fatally — at a baby shower around 1:30 a.m. at 108-11 Atlantic Ave. in Richmond Hill, Queens Saturday, authorities said.

nypost.com

1 dead, 3 others hurt after bullets fly at NYC baby shower: NYPD​

By
Social Links for Dean Balsamini



Published May 4, 2024, 1:31 p.m. ET








It was a bloody night in the Big Apple, where one person was killed and six others hurt in three shootings over a span of 45 minutes, police said.


Four men were shot — one fatally — at a baby shower around 1:30 a.m. at 108-11 Atlantic Ave. in Richmond Hill, Queens Saturday, authorities said.


Police said a 24-year-old man was mortally wounded in the chest, while another man, 45, was shot once in the left leg and a third victim, 26, was struck in the right arm.

One man was shot in the chest and killed during a baby shower which stretched late into the night. Instagram/Volume Seventeen
The 24-year-old was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center while the other two victims were in stable condition at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Queens.




A fourth victim, a 43-year-old man, arrived at Jamaica Hospital via private means in stable condition with two gunshot wounds to his right arm and one to his left leg, authorities said.


There have been no arrests and the investigation is continuing, the NYPD said.

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Less than 15 minutes later, a 25-year-old man was shot in the head outside 199-23 Linden Blvd., near 200th Street, in Jamaica at around 1:40 a.m., police said.


The victim is in critical condition at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.


There have been no arrests.

Two men survived being shot at this Brooklyn building early Saturday. Google Maps
The early Saturday bloodshed began shortly after 1 a.m. in Brooklyn, when a 47-year-old man was shot in the stomach and a 34-year-old man was hit in the right elbow at 15 Albany Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant, police said.


Authorities are looking for two males who sped off on bikes towards Fulton Street.




There have been no arrests.


“It’s unknown what what led to this or what the the motive was or if these two men were the intended targets,” an NYPD spokesman said.

 

[The Bobster]

17-year-old girl fatally stabbed in neck outside NYC subway station

The teenage girl became the seventh victim in a spat of violence that has rocked teenagers across the Big Apple over the past two days.

nypost.com

17-year-old girl fatally stabbed in neck outside NYC subway station​

By
Social Links for Katherine Donlevy



Published May 9, 2024

Updated May 9, 2024, 7:27 a.m. ET








A 17-year-old girl was killed in a stabbing outside a Queens subway station Wednesday night — the latest teenager to fall victim to Big Apple crime.


The teen was knifed in the neck on Queens Boulevard just steps from the 46th Street station in Sunnyside shortly before 9:30 p.m., the NYPD said.


The girl, who was not identified, was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.


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An NYPD officer on the scene of a stabbing at a Queens Boulevard subway station on May 8, 2024. James Keivom
Police confirmed that a person of interest was taken into custody, but no charges have been filed.




A knife was left at the scene, lying on the ground under the elevated tracks.

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Photos also show a backpack and shoulder bag — both torn open — on the floor alongside blood-soaked paper towels.


The girl became at least the seventh young victim in a spate of violence against teenagers across the city over the past two days.


Just hours earlier, a pair of 15-year-old boys were stabbed outside a Bronx McDonald’s. Both are expected to recover.


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The girl, who was not identified, was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. James Keivom
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A knife was left at the scene, on the ground under the elevated tracks. James Keivom
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Police confirmed that a person of interest was taken into custody, but no charges have been filed. James Keivom
On Tuesday, 16-year-old avid hoopster Mahki Brown was shot dead by a bike-riding gunman in Soho.


Brown, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was near the swanky Dominick Hotel on Spring Street when bullets flew, striking him in the head and leg, authorities said.


Hours after Brown’s slaying, a 17-year-old boy was shot in the back outside NYCHA’s Amsterdam Houses on the Upper West Side, police said.


The teen is in stable condition, but his assailant is still in the wind.




Also on Tuesday, three 15-year-old boys were stabbed in two separate attacks.


One of them was slashed in the back of the head during an argument on an MTA bus in the Bronx, while the other two were injured at the intersection of South 2nd Street and Keap Street in Brooklyn.

 

[The Bobster]

Two 15-year-old boys stabbed outside McDonald’s as more youth violence erupts in NYC

A pair of 15-year-old boys were stabbed outside a Bronx McDonald’s Wednesday afternoon — the latest teens caught up in a troubling spate of youth violence in the Big Apple.

nypost.com

Two 15-year-old boys stabbed outside McDonald’s as more youth violence erupts in NYC​

By
Social Links for Steven Vago



Published May 8, 2024, 9:33 p.m. ET








A pair of 15-year-old boys were stabbed outside a Bronx McDonald’s Wednesday afternoon — the latest teens caught up in a troubling spate of youth violence in the Big Apple.


One of the young victims was knifed in the chest, while the other was slashed on the hand in front of the fast food restaurant at 1600 Boston Road in Charlotte Gardens just before 4 p.m., according to police.


The youths were rushed by EMS to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi with non-life threatening injuries, cops said.

A pair of 15-year-old boys were stabbed outside a Bronx McDonald’s Wednesday afternoon — the latest teens caught up in a troubling spate of youth violence in the Big Apple. Citizen
Police said it’s unclear what led to the bloodshed, and the attacker was in the wind Wednesday night.




The stabbing comes as teen violence has plagued the city in recent days.

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On Tuesday, 16-year-old avid hoopster Mahki Brown was shot dead by a bike-riding gunman in Soho.


Brown, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was near the swanky Dominick Hotel on Spring Street when bullets flew, striking him in the head and leg, authorities said.


His devastated mom, Sean, recalled him as “always trying to help somebody.”

One of the young victims was knifed in the chest, while the other was slashed on the hand in front of the fast food restaurant at 1600 Boston Road in Charlotte Gardens just before 4 p.m., according to police. Citizen
“He helps everybody,” she sobbed, adding he just tattooed her name on his arm.


It wasn’t clear if Brown was the intended target, but sources said the shooting may have unfolded following a spat between two groups of girls earlier in the day.







Hours after Brown’s slaying, a 17-year-old boy was shot in the back outside NYCHA’s Amsterdam Houses on the Upper West Side, police said.


The teen was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center in stable condition, cops said.


The suspected gunman has yet to be caught.



And three other teenage boys, all 15 years old, were stabbed in two separate attacks on Tuesday.


One of them was slashed in the back of the head during an argument on an MTA bus in the Bronx.


The other two teens were injured in a stabbing at the intersection of South 2nd Street and Keap Street in Brooklyn.

 

[The Bobster]

Bloody week for NYC teens sees two killed, six wounded in frightening uptick of violence ahead of summer

The frightening spree of violence unfolded over the course of two days, leaving a 16-year-old basketball lover shot dead on a SoHo street and a 17-year-old girl fatally knifed in the neck outside a…

nypost.com

Bloody week for NYC teens sees two killed, six wounded in frightening uptick of violence ahead of summer​

By
Social Links for Larry Celona ,
Social Links for Joe Marino ,
Social Links for Amanda Woods and
Social Links for Olivia Land



Published May 10, 2024

Updated May 10, 2024, 6:58 p.m. ET








It was a bloody week for New York City teenagers — with at least two killed and six others wounded in a rash of shootings and stabbings across the five boroughs.


The frightening spree of violence targeting the city’s youth unfolded over the course of two days, leaving a 16-year-old basketball lover shot dead on a SoHo street and a 17-year-old girl fatally knifed in the neck outside a Queens subway station.


“We need to do everything in our power to address violence in this city, especially among our young people,” said Pastor Edward Hinds, who worked with Mahki Brown, the teenage boy gunned down at an outdoor plaza on Spring Street near Varick Street Tuesday afternoon.


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Mahki Brown, 16, — who loved basketball and was remembered as a “very vibrant young man” — was fatally shot on Tuesday afternoon.
Brown, who attended nearby Broome Street Academy Charter High School blocks away — miles from his East Flatbush, Brooklyn home — played on a basketball team run by the 67th Precinct Clergy Council, a non-violence group also known as “The GodSquad.”




“Mahki was a very energetic, very vibrant young man,” Hinds told The Post on Friday.


“It’s a tragedy that now we have to be preparing for his funeral service.”

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The teen — described as caring and respectful by friends and family — was playing “peacemaker” in a squabble between two of his fellow students when one of the girls involved called her brother for help, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Friday.


Two boys or men, who have not been publicly identified, then pulled up on a CitiBike, and one of them fired three times into a group of about 30 kids gathered at the plaza — hitting Brown twice, once in the head and once in the leg, Kenny said.


“He stepped in to break up the fight” and was killed, the chief noted.


Brown was one of two teens shot on Tuesday. The other, a 17-year-old boy blasted in the back on the grounds of an Upper West Side public housing development around 11:20 p.m., survived.


Also on Tuesday, three 15-year-old boys were slashed in two separate incidents in the Bronx and Brooklyn, and survived.


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Brown was killed in broad daylight in the swanky Soho neighborhood. Citizen App
That bloodshed was followed by a pair of 15-year-old boys injured when they were stabbed outside a Bronx McDonald’s on Wednesday — and then the tragic knifing of Sara Rivera, 17, in Sunnyside at around 9:35 p.m.


“There is always talk about too many guns on the street, and there are-but it seems like every teen has a knife,” a Brooklyn detective said of what appears to be a trend of knife crimes among teens.


“You think you are getting punched and all of a sudden you are bleeding because someone stabbed you in the chest or back.”


Police officials also blamed the state’s lax criminal justice laws for the violence, while noting a recent increase in gun arrests among the city’s youth.


“This is a direct result from the ‘Raise the Age’ laws,” one Manhattan supervisor said, referring to a statute signed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo which upped the age for a teen to face adult charges to 18, from the previous 16- and 17-year-old threshold.


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Sara Rivera, 17, was fatally stabbed in the neck on Wednesday. @nyc.saraa
The law, which went into effect in 2019, makes it likely that 16- and 17-year-olds suspects get funneled through Family Court, where they face less serious consequences.


“There are no repercussions for the crimes. The increase in crime is the opposite effect of what the law was intended to do,” the supervisor said of the slap-on-the-wrist system, adding it was creating “super criminals.”


NYPD Chief of Crime Control Strategies Mike Lipetri, agreed, telling The Post on Friday, “we have to have consequences” for serious crimes.


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A 15-year-old was charged in Ramirez’s murder. James Keivom
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Ramirez was knifed in the neck outside a Queens subway station Wednesday night. James Keivom
Last year, Lipetri said, 11% of gun arrests were minors, “up 120 % from 2018 when it was 209 under [the] age of 18.”


He said NYPD data shows that about one-quarter of youths arrested with guns in 2021 went on to be a perpetrator or victim of a shooting within two years.


“Eleven percent of all shooting victims last year in New York City were under the age of 18. Up 77% from 2018,” he added.


Some 96 people under the age of 18 were arrested in shootings in 2023, Lipetri said, adding that number was “up 92% from 2018.”









The frightening statistics played out in real time in the 36 hours after Brown was killed. As of Friday, no suspects had been publicly identified in his murder.


No suspect was named either in the shooting of the 17-year-old boy at NYCHA’s Amsterdam Houses, which erupted during a dispute over a dice game, police said.


Cops have not announced arrests in the Tuesday slashings, including the 15-year-old boy stabbed in the back of the head during a scuffle with other teens on an MTA bus in the Bronx, according to police, who said the attackers fled the scene.


Two other teens, of the same age, were also injured at a South Williamsburg intersection later that day, and that case is ongoing, too, according to police.


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A 17-year-old male was shot at a housing complex near Lincoln Center on Tuesday night. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post
Police are also still searching for the attacker who knifed a 15-year-old boy in the chest and slashed the other in the hand outside the McDonalds in Charlotte Gardens just before 4 p.m. Wednesday. The two boys are students at Bronx Vision Academy.


A 15-year-old girl was charged in the murder of Rivera – who was just a few months from turning 18.


A friend of Rivera’s said the teen was drinking with pals in a park near the 46th Street subway station when she got into the fatal dispute with the 15-year-old acquaintance — both students at Queens Tech High School, who had only been friends for about three weeks, Kenny said.


“They begin to get into some kind of verbal interaction, where you suddenly just see the perpetrator just lunge at the victim, stabs her in the neck,” he said of the Wednesday tragedy.


“While the victim was lying in the street dying, she was asking for someone to please call her mother.”


The high schooler was rushed to a hospital, but could not be saved.


“This is what happens when you change the laws and there are no consequences,” another Brooklyn detective chimed in.


“Lawmakers think they are protecting teens-did they protect [Rivera]?”




Hinds, the Brooklyn pastor who knew tragic hoopster, Brown, agreed.


“There’s a need for comprehensive resources,” he said. “An all-hands-on-deck approach.”

 

[The Bobster]

Robberies surge 5.6 percent in NYC in last month with a 350 percent increase in Central Park: ‘Free for all’

Most major crimes in the city are down, including shootings and murders, but robberies have increased across the city so far this year, police data show.

nypost.com

Robberies surge 5.6 percent in NYC in last month with a 350 percent increase in Central Park: ‘Free for all’​

By
Social Links for Tina Moore



Published May 11, 2024, 12:56 p.m. ET










Robberies in New York City are surging, police data show.
While most major crimes are down, including shootings and murders, robberies shot up 5.6% so far in 2024 over the same period in 2023 — to 5,522 from 5,228 as of May 5.
Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, pointed out that robberies have a low arrest rate — with only about 25% of cases solved because victims typically don’t know their attackers.
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Robberies shot up 5.6% so far in 2024 over the same period in 2023 — to 5,522 from 5,228 as of May 5. Christopher Sadowski
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Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant, pointed out that robberies have a low arrest rate — with only about 25% of cases solved. policinginsight

“Being up in robberies shouldn’t be a big surprise to anyone who knows what’s actually going on,” he said. “Robbery is a crime where most people can’t identify their attacker and then district attorneys are releasing these people. It becomes a free for all.”
April saw a spate of robberies in Central Park, three in just 27 hours, contributing to a 350% increase there — from 4 to 18 as of May 5, the most recent data available show.

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Robberies surged by nearly 50% in the NYPD’s tourist-heavy Midtown North Precinct, to 67 from 45 so far year-to-date.
In one Midtown robbery, a newsstand owner was bashed in the head on Feb. 24 by a threesome who snatched lottery tickets and cash before taking off.
The masked men stormed inside Abdul Hossain’s newsstand at West 54th Street and 6th Avenue around 2:30 p.m. and unloaded punches on the 67-year-old vendor.
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The masked men stormed inside Abdul Hossain’s newsstand at West 54th Street and 6th Avenue and unloaded punches on the 67-year-old vendor. Robert Miller
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“I was eating my lunch when they came in and just started punching me,” Hossain told The Post. “They punched me in the head over and over.” Robert Miller
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April saw a spate of robberies in Central Park, three in just 27 hours, contributing to a 350% increase. James Messerschmidt
“I was eating my lunch when they came in and just started punching me,” Hossain told The Post. “They punched me in the head over and over.”
In Brooklyn, three robbers attacked a 67-year-old man in a subway station in the 66th Precinct around 1:30 a.m. May 3, police said.

What do you think? Post a comment.

The victim was the mezzanine level of the Ditmas Avenue station on the “F” line when two of the attackers punched him in the face and forcibly took his MetroCard and cell phone.


Robbery in the precinct is up from 28 to 39, or 39.3%, so far this year over last, the data show.

 

[The Bobster]

14-year-old stabbed in Bronx hours before tourist, 43, knifed in chest in Times Square: cops

A 14-year-old was stabbed multiple times in the Bronx Saturday afternoon, cops said — the latest victim in a bloody week for New York City teens.

nypost.com

14-year-old stabbed in Bronx hours before tourist, 43, knifed in chest in Times Square: cops​

By
Social Links for Larry Celona ,
Social Links for Matthew Sedacca and
Social Links for Katherine Donlevy



Published May 11, 2024

Updated May 11, 2024, 9:08 p.m. ET








A 14-year-old was stabbed multiple times in the Bronx Saturday afternoon, hours before a tourist was slashed near Times Square, cops and sources said.


Police responded to a slashing call just before 2:30 p.m. at the corner of Hunts Point Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx, where a 14-year-old boy was found conscious and alert with two stab wounds in his back, cops said.


The teen was brought to Harlem Hospital, where he was in stable condition, cops said, becoming the latest victim in what has amounted to a bloody week for New York City teens.

A 14-year-old was found stabbed in the Bronx Saturday afternoon, cops said. Elmar Gubisch

Saturday’s stabbing further adds to what has amounted to a bloody week for New York City teens. tillsonburg


No suspects have been arrested and the investigation is ongoing, police said.

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Just four hours later, a 46-year-old tourist was stabbed in the chest in an unprovoked attack at the intersection of West 43rd and Eighth Avenue, sources told The Post.


The woman was rushed to the Bellvue Hospital in stable condition, the NYPD said.


A knife was recovered from the busy Midtown cross street, and her suspected attacker was taken into custody, but no charges have been filed, according to sources.


Saturday’s attacks add to a terrifying rash of violence, particularly among New York City youths.


At least two teens were killed and six others wounded in a frightening spate of shootings and stabbings over the course of just two days earlier this month.


Among the dead are a 16-year-old basketball lover who was shot dead on a Soho street and a 17-year-old girl who was fatally knifed in the neck outside a Queens subway station.


On Friday, an 11-year-old girl was slashed in the back of her head by a madman who had just punched another woman in the face. The young girl — though traumatized — survived the attack.

 

[The Bobster]

Here’s who’s buying panic rooms and bullet-proof doors amid crime fears in NYC — and it’s not who you’d think

“[What] my clients have been expressing to me is we saw how quickly society can break down during COVID. So, what would happen if something really drastic happened? I think everybody’s …

nypost.com

Here’s who’s buying panic rooms and bullet-proof doors amid crime fears in NYC — and it’s not who you’d think​

By
Social Links for Alex Oliveira



Published May 12, 2024, 5:02 p.m. ET










New Yorkers are fortifying their homes with panic rooms and bullet-proof doors like never before over fears about crime, migrants and national turmoil — and it’s not just the city’s elite partaking in the trend.
“Not every [customer] is an ultra-rich stockbroker — a lot of them are just people, middle-class kind of people,” said Steve Humble, founder of the home-defense contractor Creative Home Engineering.
“I’d say the pandemic really kicked off an uptick. Business was really good throughout the pandemic time, and it really hasn’t slowed down,” said Humble, who specializes in top-of-the-line secret doors disguised as bookshelves, fireplaces, mirrors, blank walls and whatever else a client can think of to conceal a safety room behind them.
He is one of numerous home-defense contractors who told The Post that the past four years have been a boon for business, with New Yorkers from all walks of life shelling out thousands of dollars to outfit their homes with hidden rooms, bulletproof doors and a swath of other covert security systems to keep the baddies at bay should they come knocking.
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Here is a concealed door disguised as a bookcase and made by Creative Home Engineering. hiddenpassageway.com

The driving force is a decline in New Yorkers’ sense of safety — assaults in the Big Apple reached 28,000 for the first time on record last year — and the perceptible shift toward volatile instability that many people feel is ramping up across all of American society, Humble and others say.

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“Whether it’s real or perceived. People feel like crime is up,” Humble said, explaining he has installed “well over 100” doors in homes across New York, with middle-class homes in Queens and the Bronx standing out.
David Vranicar, whose company Fortified and Ballistic Security specializes in such things as bulletproof doors and windows, said New Yorkers from less affluent parts of Queens and Brooklyn have been driving his business in the city, too.
“Those are the people that actually need to stop bad guys from getting in the house,” Vranicar said.
“[What] my clients have been expressing to me is we saw how quickly society can break down during COVID,” he said. “So, what would happen if something really drastic happened? I think everybody’s a little scared.”
While Humble specializes in concealing without-a-trace hidden safe rooms, Vranicar’s defensive philosophy is focused on keeping the baddies moving on by fortifying points of entry such as front doors and windows.
“What we want to do is say, ‘If the riot breaks out, can I be secured?’ And the reality is, even if it’s bad, and they’re banging on your door, and they can’t get in, and it’s steel all the way around, they’re not coming in. They’re just not, and they’ll move on,” he explained.
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Fears over crime in the headlines and on the sidewalks have led some New Yorkers to fortify their homes. hiddenpassageway.com
He said he also focuses on fortifying bedrooms where homeowners are most likely to be at their most vulnerable — asleep — should trouble make its way inside.
While Vranicar and Humble offer high-end custom projects — which can quickly add up to tens of thousands of dollars and more — both also said they provide a line of products to fortify or conceal doors on more conservative budgets.
Humble’s most affordable hidden door costs about $1,000, and though Vranicar’s cheapest door starts around $6,000, he pointed out that installing one such door on an apartment above ground level is going to make the place as secure as it can be.
“In New York, if you could afford six-grand for a door, you’re pretty much gonna be really safe,” Vranicar said.
Though both have outfitted the homes of celebrities and statesmen alike, average New Yorkers have helped make the city one of their biggest markets across the country, they said.
“There’s a lot of people in New York that are ordering the pre-designed secret doors from us,” said Humble, noting that New York City is one of his top three markets.
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Hidden rooms are just one defense measure. Some customers install electrified door handles and weaponized drones, too. hiddenpassageway.com
For not-so-average New Yorkers, there’s Bill Rigdon of Panic Room Builders — who caters to clients with homes worth around $10 million at a minimum.
“The people below that can’t get their head around spending $50,000 for a door,” Rigdon told The Post.
Rigdon builds panic rooms averaging between $100,000 and $200,000 — but can quickly cost well above that. The rooms are equipped with a host of defensive measures and life support such as food, water, plumbing, medical equipment, power sources and communication systems.
Beyond ballistic doors that can stop AK-47 rounds and up, Rigdon’s panic rooms can have electrified handles, smoke-screen launchers, concealed nozzles for blasting dyed pepper spray at intruders and remotely controlled robots or drones armed with shotgun shells.
As with Humble and Vranicar, the names and addresses of Ridgon’s clients are all protected by strict non-disclosure agreements, but he said the city has become “a different ballgame” with “1% of 1% customers” in recent years.
“The migrant thing has got people brain-spun because they’re living in their crystal palace out in the Hamptons and they have to drive through the city. and they see this,” Rigdon said.
“In the city right now, it’s is the rampant crime, right? Political unrest, which you see on the streets. And when these migrants started going into town, you know, it’s broadcasts all over the news — my phone blew up.”
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A secret door built into a bathroom mirror by Creative Home Engineering is one criminal-battling device. hiddenpassageway.com
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Hidden safe rooms and other home fortifications have been on the rise in neighborhoods all across New York City. hiddenpassageway.com
Recent city headlines have been so alarming that Rigdon estimates about 90% of his Big Apple business right now comes from previous clients who fear the instability — and potentially more from the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
“It’s not ‘if,’ it’s ‘when’ it’s coming,’ ” Rigdon said. “I have people I work with in the agencies in Pittsburgh, and Philly — the FBI, you name it — and they’re worried. If they’re worried. Why shouldn’t we be worried?”
Vranicar and Humble said they also have been seeing a similar trend among clients, many of whom have expressed fears over what has been simmering across America since 2016 — and may be coming to a head in the fall.



“There’s a bigger gap between a two sets of people groups: the haves and the have-nots, and the red versus the blue,” Vranicar said. “And the division is getting bigger and bigger and more and more polarized. And it’s got both sides freaking out. It’s made everybody on edge.


“A reason I believe we have such an uptick in business is America is becoming more like the rest of the world,” he said. “Just because you live in America, you’re not necessarily safe anymore. It was the case for a very long time, but not so much anymore.”

 

[The Bobster]

NYPD ‘headcount’ faces record lows not seen in decades — 200 cops leaving each month : data

A total of 566 police officers have hung up their holsters through April, compared to 508 over the first four months of last year, NYPD pension data shows.

nypost.com

NYPD ‘headcount’ faces record lows not seen in decades — 200 cops leaving each month : data​

By
Social Links for Dean Balsamini



Published May 18, 2024, 9:15 a.m. ET

The problem of NYPD cops leaving the job is getting worse as retirements this year have surged 11%. AP


The number of NYPD cops on the job this year and last is the lowest it’s been in more than three decades – with about 200 cops leaving each month, according to data obtained by The Post.
The current NYPD headcount is 33,695, just 154 more than last year — and the lowest since 32,451 in 1990, stats from the department and city Independent Budget Office show.
The problem is getting worse as retirements this year have surged 11%.
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“This is shaping up to be a long, hot summer in New York City with lots of overtime for the NYPD,” said Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Getty Images
A total of 566 police officers have hung up their holsters through April, compared to 508 over the first four months of last year, NYPD pension data shows.

A total of 823 NYPD cops have left the department so far this year. Of those, 257 cops quit before they reached the 20 years required to receive their full pensions.
On Thursday alone, 27 cops resigned. “Most” are going to the higher-paying Nassau Police Department, police sources said.

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The NYPD’s largest police union warned something has got to give.
“New York City police officers’ workload has exploded over the past several months, and the staffing is still nowhere close to keeping up,” said Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry.
“From the daily protest details to additional patrols in the subway, our members are beyond exhausted already – and summertime crime spikes are just around the corner. Squeezing cops for even more overtime hours is not a solution. It will just send even more of them running for the exits.”
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The current NYPD headcount is 33,695, just 154 more than last year and otherwise the lowest since 32,451 in 1990 — the height of the crack epidemic. Christopher Sadowski
8
A total of 566 police officers have retired in 2024 through April, compared to 508 over the first four months of last year, NYPD pension data shows. Syndi Pilar/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
The NYPD has responded to 2,400 protests since Oct 7, and handle an average of 12 protests a day. Cops are often held over past the end of their shift to deal with the demonstrations.
The union has proposed a flexible schedule — currently being tested in select precincts — that would have cops work longer hours on fewer days.
One police officer, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, told The Post he retired in January after 20 years because he had had enough of the long hours, anti-cop rhetoric and bail reform laws that prevented him from doing a job he once loved.
8
Two of the canceled NYPD academy classes are back on, Mayor Eric Adams announced last month. Corbis via Getty Images
8
On Thursday alone, 27 cops resigned and “most” are going into the Nassau Police Department Academy, police sources said. Paul Martinka
“When I first got on the job there was a certain level of respect for the police officer. In regards to no-bail, these guys know they can punch a cop and be let out the next day. There’s no consequences. So, a lot of cops are like, ‘What the hell are we doing?'” said John, a 42-year-old assigned to the Bronx.
Retiring was “like somebody lifted an elephant and took it off [my shoulders],” he said.
As a married father of three, losing his regular days off and being re-routed to other commands to deal with protests and subway crime meant longer hours and took a toll on his family, he added.
8
Retiring was “like somebody lifted an elephant and took it off [my shoulders],” said a now-retired cop, John, who was assigned to The Bronx. Gregory P. Mango
“If you go to any of the outer counties, particularly in Westchester or Long Island, those guys are making a tremendous amount of money for maybe half the work that our guys do.”
Two of the canceled NYPD academy classes are back on, Mayor Eric Adams announced last month, which will boost the dwindling ranks by 1,200.
But the PBA contends the new hires will “barely keep the headcount flat.”
8
The PBA has proposed a flexible schedule — currently being tested in select precincts — that would have cops work longer hours on fewer days. John Lamparski/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
8
NYPD officers armed with rifles stand guard as revelers take part in the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet festival outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral. REUTERS
The Adams administration called off five classes to train new recruits as part of multiple rounds of budget cuts to offset the cost of the migrant crisis, which has the city on the hook for nearly $10 billion through next year.



Earlier this year, though, higher-than-expected revenue has led the administration to roll back a series of cuts, including one of this fiscal year’s police classes and more than $500 million in educational cuts next year.

 

[The Bobster]

NYC shoplifting soars with over 21K complaints lodged so far this year — causing CVS, Walgreens to close up shops

New York City is turning into a drugstore desert as retail theft surged 5.6% so far this year.

nypost.com

NYC shoplifting soars with over 21K complaints lodged so far this year — causing CVS, Walgreens to close up shops​

By
Social Links for Lauren Elkies Schram and
Social Links for Tina Moore



Published May 18, 2024, 11:42 a.m. ET










New York City is losing drugstores as retail theft continues to surge.
Gotham has logged 21,578 shoplifting complaints this year through May 12, up 5% from the 20,552 thefts during the same period last year.
Manhattan has seen 8,896 incidents of retail theft alone.
4
Target, CVS and Walgreens are closing locations throughout the country, according to reports. AFP via Getty Images
Crime is so rampant, national chains like Target, CVS and Walgreens are closing locations and tempering expansion plans.

Target announced at the end of last year the closure of nine stores across four states, including one in Harlem, due to theft.

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“We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance,” the company said.
While shopping patterns have changed, with people making more purchases online, theft is “a factor” in chains closing up shop, said one Manhattan retail broker.
4
Before her local CVS closed for good at 2495 Broadway at West 93rd Street, Maria Kucer said she saw a guy “scooping stuff” from the shelves into his black duffel bag. Helayne Seidman
4
Maria Kucer (pictured) was so upset seeing people steal from her local CVS store. Helayne Seidman
“The old Love drugstores and Price Wise were 2,500-square-foot stores that seemed to succeed years ago,” said Big Apple retail broker Robin Abrams. “Then they mostly closed as they could not compete with the 10,000- to 20,000-square-foot Duane Reade, Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid stores. Now we are ‘over- drugstored’ and . . . and these chains will operate less stores in smaller spaces.”
Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said part of the problem was that politicians shrugged off retail theft instead of targeting it.
“Our politicians have told us, ‘Shoplifting is not a problem,'” Giacalone said. “And then all of a sudden, we start seeing all these issues that are happening because many of these crimes have been downgraded by the politicians themselves . . . Eventually you gotta pay the piper.”

see also​

NYC’s once-bustling Flatiron District now a wasteland of empty storefronts as rampant shoplifting wreaks havoc on iconic nabe​

Retail theft, which the NYPD only recently added to its crime-tracking CompStat reports, has nearly doubled in the city in the last six years. The number of incidents in Gotham steadily climbed from 32,254 complaints in 2017 to 37,922 incidents in 2019, before falling during the height of COVID-19 in 2020. From 2021 to 2023 citywide complaints increased again from 43,892 to 59,137, the data indicate.
The climate has made it tough for big drugstores already in the midst of downsizing.
Walgreens is on track to reduce its national footprint by roughly 200 stores in fiscal 2024, CEO Timothy Wentworth said in a call with analysts about the company’s first-quarter earnings. CVS announced plans in 2021 to shrink its national retail footprint by 900 stores: 300 each in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
In the Big Apple, locations are shuttering, with drug store companies forgoing some leases upon their expiration and putting other spaces up for sublease.
In Manhattan, five former CVS outposts are on the market, according to broker Joanne Podell, who is handling the leasing of the spaces. Walgreens has 17 former stores on the market in Manhattan, per a list from real estate firms JLL and SRS.
And Rite Aid is shuttering 53 additional stores in nine states as part of the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. That is on top of an initial list of 154 store closures.
4
“Inevitably I ended up paying more for items as a result of the thefts and since the cashiers, pharmacists and staff felt like family to me, the thieves made me mad,”Kucer said about the thieves Helayne Seidman
“When you have a local drugstore, a local business, close down, you’re also losing jobs, you are inconveniencing the residents, and it has a long term impact on the quality of life of the community,” Mayor Eric Adams said.
Three weeks before her local CVS closed for good at 2495 Broadway at West 93rd Street in February, Maria Kucer, 61, said she saw a guy “scooping stuff” from the shelves into his black duffel bag. Kucer was told the same man had hit the store two days earlier. And that wasn’t the first time Kucer witnessed stealing at the store.


“I felt they were stealing from me,” Kucer said of the thieves. “Inevitably I ended up paying more for items as a result of the thefts and since the cashiers, pharmacists and staff felt like family to me, the thieves made me mad.”

 

[The Bobster]

Three dead, five hurt in bloody night across the Big Apple

Two people were killed — including an elderly man in a Brooklyn arson fire — and five others hurt in separate incidents across the city, authorities said.

nypost.com

Three dead, five hurt in bloody night across the Big Apple​

By
Social Links for Dean Balsamini



Published May 25, 2024, 12:12 p.m. ET










An elderly man was found dead after a fire in Brooklyn that authorities say was intentionally set — part of a deadly night in the Big Apple which saw two others killed and five hurt in separate incidents.
The body of the victim, 70, was discovered in a bedroom of 371 Monroe St. in Bedford-Stuyvesant at about 11:15 p.m. Friday, and a woman, 65, was taken to Woodhull Hospital with smoke inhalation, police said.
The city medical examiner will determine the cause of death, but the FDNY fire marshal deemed the blaze was intentionally set.
4
Firefighters extinguishing a blaze at 371 Monroe St. in Bedford-Stuyvesant at about 11:15 p.m. Wayne Carrington
4
Neighbors congregate next door to the arson blaze building on Monroe Street. Wayne Carrington

The woman was being questioned in the fire probe, a law enforcement source said. The investigation is ongoing.

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Less than an hour later, a man, 21, was shot in the head in front of 140 Moore St. in Williamsburg and pronounced dead at Elmhurst Hospital.
Later, another man, 20, walked into Woodhull Hospital with gunshot graze wounds to his head, ear and legs, claiming he was shot on the same street, cops said. There have been no arrests.
At around 1:10 a.m. Saturday, a woman was grazed in the neck by a bullet on the 2100 block of Union Street in Brownsville, Brooklyn, cops said.
4
The body of a 70-year-old arson fire victim is covered outside a building on Monroe Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Wayne Carrington
The victim, 19, was in stable condition at Brookdale Hospital. There have been no arrests.
Shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday, a 27-year-old woman was slashed in the face and head in front of 1881 Walton Ave. in Mount Hope after two other women — armed with a knife and a gun — attacked her, The Bronx, police said.
She was in stable condition at St. Barnabas Hospital. There have been no arrests.
At around 2:30 a.m. in East Harlem, a 19-year-old man was shot in the back while walking along the 1900 block of Park Avenue and later was in stable condition at Harlem Hospital, cops said. There have been no arrests.
4
A 19-year-old man was shot in the back while walking along the 1,900 block of Park Avenue in East Harlem, cops said. Citizen


The deadly episodes began in the Bronx shortly before 6 p.m. Friday when a man was shot in the right leg inside 1825 Topping Ave. in Mount Hope, police said.


The victim, 37, later died at St. Barnabas and a person was taken into custody, police said.

 

[The Bobster]

One dead, 3 injured in Saturday NYC violence: NYPD

A Mount Vernon woman was knifed to death in the Bronx, one of four violent incidents Saturday that left three others injured across three boroughs, police said.

nypost.com

One dead, 3 injured in Saturday NYC violence: NYPD​

By
Social Links for Larry Celona ,
Social Links for Georgia Worrell ,
Social Links for Georgett Roberts and
Social Links for Matthew Sedacca



Published June 1, 2024, 6:22 p.m. ET










A Mount Vernon woman was found with her throat slit early Saturday in The Bronx, authorities said.
The body of Ashley Smith, 37, was discovered just after 6 a.m. at 1418 Oakley St. in the Williamsbridge section, after apparently getting into a fight on the sidewalk following a rowdy party, authorities said.
The bloody incident was one of four violent episodes in three boroughs which left three victims — including a man who was shot in the head, according to cops.
3
Ashley Smith, 37 got into a fight on the sidewalk in the Bronx following a rowdy party. Robert Miller
Smith is believed to have been slashed with a knife or bloody liquor bottle, both of which were found at the scene, a police and neighbor sources said.

There have been no arrests.

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On Saturday afternoon, two pink dreadlocks littered the sidewalk beside a dried pool of Smith’s blood, along with two of her giant gold hoops and a slew of fake pink fingernails police said belonged to the victim.
About 20 gold bangles were also found scattered on the ground.
Dee, 35, who lives in the house where the gathering occurred, said the fight broke out on the sidewalk in front of his home after people were being kicked out of the bash.
“I tried to stop it because this is a nice neighborhood and we don’t do that here,” Dee said, but he gave up and went back inside after he “got hit” and his glasses were smashed.
3
About 20 gold bangles were found on the ground near where Smith was stabbed. Robert Miller
“Everybody was juiced up and stupid,” he said, claiming someone other than Smith, 37, instigated the fatal fight.
About four hours later in Harlem, a man was found shot in the back of the head at West 124th Street and Hancock Place, and was taken to Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, where he was expected to survive.
The victim was a homeless man known in the neighborhood as “Bear,” residents said.
3
A Mount Vernon woman was found knifed to death in the Bronx early Saturday morning. Robert Miller
As of Saturday afternoon, the suspect was still at large.
Locals told The Post they believed the victim often slept on the street near the scene.
“I was cleaning up. He was sleeping right here,” one man said, pointing at the sidewalk. “He woke up and he said he was going across the street to get a cup of coffee.”
An hour later, a United States Postal worker reported having her postal keys stolen, after three people in a sedan approached her at 824 East 51st St. in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, cops said.
The assailants pushed the federal employee, causing minor injuries to her right hand, before fleeing northbound on East 51st Street in their car, cops said.

 

[The Bobster]

Gunfire erupts across NYC, with 6 shot — 2 dead — as summer weather hits: NYPD

Gunfire erupted across New York City Saturday night — coinciding with a noticeable rise in summer-esque temperatures.

nypost.com

Gunfire erupts across NYC, with 6 shot — 2 dead — as summer weather hits: NYPD​

By
Social Links for Katherine Donlevy



Published June 9, 2024, 2:45 a.m. ET











Gunfire erupted across New York City Saturday night — coinciding with a noticeable rise in summer-esque temperatures.


Six people were struck by bullets in four separate shootings as night fell and two of the victims were killed, according to the NYPD.


The deadliest exploded at 10:30 p.m. at a home in South Richmond Hill, Queens.


3
Investigators inspect the scene where multiple people were shot in Ozone Park, Queens Saturday night. Paul Martinka
Police found a 52-year-old woman suffering from a gunshot wound at the 95th Street and 11th Avenue home, as well as a 27-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso, cops said.




Another man, 33, was found a mile away with a gunshot wound to his head and a gun next to his body.

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The woman was rushed to the hospital in stable condition, but the men were pronounced dead at the scene. Cops couldn’t immediately say whether the 33-year-old man may have been the gunman.


But the bloody night kicked off hours earlier in East Flatbush.


A 15-year-old boy was shot in the left arm outside a residence at around 5:30 p.m., cops said.


3
Police found a 52-year-old woman suffering from a gunshot wound at the 95th Street and 11th Avenue home, as well as a 27-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso. Paul Martinka
Only a few miles away in Brownsville, a 58-year-old man was shot once in his left ankle at the Marcus Garvey Houses just before 8:45 p.m., the NYPD reported.


Both were taken to area hospitals in stable condition.


Another teenager was shot in his left elbow on the corner of West 135th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem just before 7:30 p.m., police said.


3
All four shootings are still under investigation. Paul Martinka



The 19-year-old victim is in stable condition and a male person of interest has been taken into custody — the only one of the night.


All four shootings are still under investigation.

 

[The Bobster]

Bloody night across NYC sees two shot during party at Brooklyn park

The shooting was just one of several that lit up the Big Apple Saturday, including an unrelated one just down the block from Livonia Park.

nypost.com

Bloody night across NYC sees two shot during party at Brooklyn park​

By
Social Links for Katherine Donlevy and
Social Links for Larry Celona



Published June 16, 2024, 1:49 a.m. ET














Two people were shot during a party at a Brooklyn park in what was a bloody Saturday night across the Big Apple, according to police and police sources.
A 53-year-old woman and 70-year-old man were struck around 10:30 p.m. in Brownsville’s Livonia Park, the NYPD said.
The 53-year-old woman was shot once in the right leg and twice in the torso, while the 70-year-old man sustained one gunshot wound to his left leg, police reported.
5
An NYPD officer searches Livonia Park in Brooklyn following a shooting that injured two people on June 15, 2024. Paul Martinka
They were both taken to Brookdale Hospital in stable condition.

Several people were taken in for questioning, but no charges were dropped, the NYPD said.

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The shooting was just one of several that lit up the Big Apple Saturday, including an unrelated one just down the block from Livonia Park.
A 17-year-old boy shot himself in the left leg around 4:40 p.m. at an address outside of Nehemiah Park, according to police. He is in stable condition, but the NYPD couldn’t say whether it was accidental.
At the same time, a 43-year-old man was also shot in the left leg at Bronx River Avenue and East 172nd Street in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx.
5
The shooting was just one of several that lit up the Big Apple Saturday, including an unrelated one just down the block from Livonia Park. Paul Martinka
5
A 53-year-old woman and 70-year-old man were struck around 10:30 p.m. in the Brownsville park, the NYPD said. Paul Martinka
The Hispanic male perpetrator, who was wearing a white shirt, fled the scene in a sedan and is still in the wind, police said. The victim is in stable condition.
A mile away and five hours later, a 43-year-old man was shot in the right foot in Charlotte Gardens. The gunman fled.
Two people were also shot around 7:30 p.m. at the Grant Houses in Manhattanville, the NYPD said.
A 37-year-old man was shot once in the shoulder and a 20-year-old woman was shot once in her right hand. Both were taken to the hospital in stable condition.
5
Chairs and scooters are lined up inside the park where two people were shot on June 15, 2024 in Brooklyn. Paul Martinka
5
Several people were taken in for questioning on Saturday. Paul Martinka



The gunman — a male wearing a white shirt and black pants — is still on the loose, cops said.


All five shootings are under investigation.

 

[The Bobster]

Horror stories from NYC’s 8th Ave. ‘Strip of Despair’ — where stabbings, drug use and public defecation are the norm

“They s**t on the street. They s**t on cars. We clean with a hose twice a week because everywhere smells like piss,” one fed-up super said.

nypost.com

Horror stories from NYC’s 8th Ave. ‘Strip of Despair’ — where stabbings, drug use and public defecation are the norm​

By
Social Links for Jack Morphet and
Social Links for Alex Oliveira



Published June 17, 2024, 7:14 p.m. ET











Business owners and residents along Midtown Manhattan’s “Strip of Despair” are so frequently robbed and harassed by drug-addled “psychopaths” that they’ve stopped trying to resist — or even bother calling the cops for help.


“Almost every day someone comes into my store to steal,” said 45-year-old Arun Kumar, who owns A’s Coffee Spot on W. 39th St. and 8th Avenue.


“They take beer the most — they take it and walk out,” he said. “It’s too dangerous to try and stop them.”


6
Alarmingly incoherent addicts passed out on the street are a common sight along 8th Avenue in Midtown South. Matthew McDermott
Kumar’s shop is located in a stretch of Midtown between Port Authority Bus Terminal and Penn Station that’s come to be known as the “8th Avenue Corridor,” where hard drugs are used in the open and emotionally disturbed people wander the streets screaming at passersby.




Several locals told The Post that they’re fed-up and scared of what the neighborhood has become — despite New York Mayor Eric Adams insisting on Monday that it’s actually getting better.

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Recent data from the NYPD shows a mixed bag of progress for the Midtown South Precinct — which stretches from 9th Avenue to Lexington.


There have been 172 reported robberies so far this year, down 24% from the same period in 2023, but felony assaults are up nearly 12%, with 245 reported.


Grand larceny is down 16%, but petit larceny is up 11% and retail theft reports are up 3%.


Drug arrests are also up more than 25%.


But it’s clear that lawlessness remains rampant. The Post caught one man urinating in the street in broad daylight on Monday.


Public defecation is also a common sight, residents and shop owners said.


Open drug use often escalates into violence. The Post obtained horrific footage of a brutal knife fight in April between an alleged drug dealer and a user outside a building which led to one man being badly injured.


6
A violent knife fight purportedly between a drug dealer and user back in April that left one gravely injured
Last week, one woman was stabbed to death outside Port Authority, and an emotionally disturbed man was shot in the leg near West 33rd St. and Broadway — both in the same night.


Locals say many of the troublemakers are drawn to the neighborhood by a concentration of homeless shelters and drug addiction treatment clinics in the area.


“It’s like we’ve been bombed,” said resident Charles Pellegrino, 71, who’s lived in the neighborhood for nearly 30 years.


“It’s a bad situation. You see money exchanging, you see the crack pipes being lit, you see people fighting. You don’t want to dare get stuck in the middle of that.”


He added: “You never used to have the feeling you have now, a feeling of being unsafe in the middle of the day just walking around. Post-COVID, this neighborhood has been nuts.”


Pellegrino knows the danger first-hand. In November 2022, he was walking near his home when a stranger shoved him into a construction site — sending him to the hospital with a dislocated shoulder.


“My glasses shattered and I was lucky to avoid a major head injury,” he said.


Kumar, the coffee shop owner, was slashed in the face two years ago when he tried to stop a shoplifter from snatching an entire case of beer.


After that, he said he no longer intervenes when people come in to steal.


6
Arun Kumar, 45, was slashed across the face while trying to stop an addict from stealing from his shop two years ago. Matthew McDermott
Ying Luo, who manages 39th and 9th Ave. Grocery about a block from Kumar’s store, also said trying to stop brazen shoplifters isn’t worth the risk. So, he’s resorted to pleading.


“I ask them to put it back but if they don’t, you just have to let them go,” the 33-year-old said.


He added: “I live in East Harlem, which is a lot safer than here. It’s getting worse — there is more crime, more drugs and more homelessness.”


Luo thinks the high tourist traffic in the neighborhood — driven by Times Square and the nearby transit hubs — draws the homeless to the area because tourists are easy marks for beggars and thieves.


“When the homeless beg for money, the tourists don’t want trouble and will give them money,” he said.


Tourists, meanwhile, said they’re terrified of the area, including 32-year-old Hilaria Rutini and her husband Philippo Paradiso, 39, who are visiting NYC from Italy for the first time.


“We don’t walk around here at night, it’s too scary. We prefer just to go to sleep,” said Rutini, who is staying in a hotel across from Port Authority. “At night, this area is full of drug addicts.”


“If we come back, we will stay somewhere else, where there’s not so many homeless and drug addicts.”


6
Residents of 8th Ave. have blamed a concentration of drug clinics and shelters for the problems. NY Post Illustration
Longtime residents don’t have the luxury of leaving when danger comes knocking — something the tenants of one apartment building on W. 39th and 9th Ave. experienced only two weeks ago.


“We had six tenants who couldn’t get out because there was someone smoking crack in the lobby,” said building super John Pormigiano, 59.


“The people were trapped for 15 to 20 minutes until finally I chased him out. He was really dirty, smelly and incoherent. You can’t even reason with them at all.”


He said numerous tenants called 911, but cops never bothered to show up.


6
Ying Luo has stopped calling the police when incidents occur after countless calls that are never responded to. Matthew McDermott
Pormigiano isn’t the only one to complain that the police never show when they call for help. Kumar and Luo both told The Post they’ve stopped bothering to call 911 when they’re attacked after countless incidents in which they received no response.


“It’s a waste of time,” Luo said. “You spend time on the phone describing the shoplifter but nothing gets done, so what’s the point? It’s not like the police will get my stuff back. The police won’t respond to small thefts.”


Mayor Eric Adams told The Post Monday that the NYPD’s hands have been tied by laws preventing them from arresting people just for being high in public.


He said officers were doing the best they could, adding that he’s done walkthroughs of the neighborhood and thinks things are improving.


“We’re doing a good job,” he said.


6
John Pormigiano, 59, is the superintendent at an apartment building off 9th Ave., and frequently sees filth and chaos. Matthew McDermott
But residents aren’t seeing it.


“There’s always fights and psychopaths around here,” Pormigiano said. “There was a fight right here on the corner around the middle of April where one guy was stabbed in the heart and the groin. They were both covered in blood. They’re like Gladiators.”


That fight broke out in broad daylight on the afternoon of April 16 on W. 39th and 8th Ave., where security footage shows one man slashing another, who defended himself with his shirt.


The disheveled pair finally came to blows and tumbled off camera before one was left grievously wounded.





“A guy just walked past here covered in s**t. He sits on the corner smoking crack. The smell makes you want to vomit,” Pormigiano said. “They s**t on the street. They s**t on cars. We clean with a hose twice a week because everywhere smells like piss.”


Outside Port Authority on Monday morning tourists and commuters were greeted by puddles of vomit washed across the 9th Avenue exit. Steps away on W 40th St. a man relieved himself into a storm drain. A homeless woman stood on the corner welcoming passersby into the city.


“I hope you get shot,” she said.

 

[The Bobster]

3 killed, 4 others shot as violence soars in Big Apple overnight on Father’s Day: cops

A 44-year-old man was shot in the face, a 40-year-old man blasted in the chest and a 37-year-old man struck in the leg in a single shooting at West 207th Street and 10th Avenue in Inwood around 11:…

nypost.com

3 killed, 4 others shot as violence soars in Big Apple overnight on Father’s Day: cops​

By
Social Links for Amanda Woods



Published June 17, 2024, 3:15 p.m. ET













Three people were killed and four others shot in five separate incidents as gun violence soared across the Big Apple overnight on Father’s Day, authorities said.
A 44-year-old man was shot in the face, a 40-year-old man blasted in the chest and a 37-year-old man struck in the leg in a single shooting at West 207th Street and 10th Avenue in Inwood around 11:40 p.m. Sunday, cops said.
The older two men were each hospitalized, initially in critical condition, but later succumbed to their injuries, police said.
6
Two men were killed and a third hurt in a late Sunday shooting at West 207th Street and 10th Avenue in Inwood, cops said. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post
The youngest man was hospitalized in stable condition.

The motive for the deadly violence was not immediately known.

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Another man was killed about 35 minutes earlier on Ralph Avenue near Chauncey Street on the grounds of NYCHA’s Brevoort Houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant, cops said.
6
The motive for the deadly Inwood shooting remains under investigation. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post
6
The three victims shot in Inwood were among at least seven people shot across the city overnight, police said. Matthew McDermott
Tyreek Ogarro, 32, was struck multiple times in the torso when shots rang out around 11:05 p.m., police said.
He was taken to the Kings County Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The motive for that shooting also remains unclear.
6
Tyreek Ogarro, 32, was shot multiple times in the torso and killed on the grounds of a Bedford-Stuyvesant housing complex, cops said. Wayne Carrington
Hours earlier, a 29-year-old man was shot around 8:45 p.m. outside a church in the Claremont Village section of the Bronx, cops said.
The victim took a bullet to the torso in front of the Iglesia Pentecostal Cristo La Unica Esperanza on East 169th Street near Grant Avenue, cops said.
He was taken by private means to BronxCare Health System, where he was listed in stable condition.
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Ogarro was taken to the Kings County Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead. Wayne Carrington
Another person was shot on the grounds of NYCHA’s South Beach Houses on Norway Avenue near Kramer Street in the Arrochar section of Staten Island around 1 a.m. Monday, police said.
The victim, whose gender and age were not immediately known, was taken to Staten Island University Hospital North with non-life-threatening injuries.
In another early-morning act of violence, a man was shot just outside the W & Fam Deli Grocery on Flatbush Avenue near East 31st Street around 3:10 a.m., authorities said.
6
The circumstances of the shooting that took Ogarro’s life are also under investigation. Wayne Carrington
The victim was struck in the upper left side of the stomach – and the bullet flew out through his lower back, cops said.
The wounded man stumbled his way toward the Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn College subway station, where another person found him lying on the staircase and called 911, police said.



He was taken to the Kings County Hospital Center, where he was listed in stable condition.


No arrests have been made in any of the incidents.

 

[The Bobster]

NYC gun violence spikes as summer heat hits the five boroughs: ‘It’s that time of the year’

NYPD stats show that shootings in the five boroughs jumped by 50% over last year in the past week, with the number of shooting victims up by an even wider margin over 2023.

nypost.com

NYC gun violence spikes as summer heat hits the five boroughs: ‘It’s that time of the year’​

By
Social Links for Larry Celona ,
Social Links for Amanda Woods ,
Social Links for Craig McCarthy and
Social Links for Jorge Fitz-Gibbon



Published June 19, 2024, 5:59 p.m. ET













It’s looking like a long, hot summer already.
Shootings spiked in the Big Apple last week by a whopping 50% compared to the same period last year – and the number of gunshot victims spiked by an even higher margin, NYPD stats show.
The data show that 30 people were struck in two dozen shootings across the five boroughs in the week ending on Sunday, a jump from the 18 gunshot victims in 16 incidents over the same span in 2023.
And that’s just part of a month-long pattern that has seen an uptick in gun violence.
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Shootings have spiked in the Big Apple over the past month — and especially the past week as summer heat settles in. KEVIN C DOWNS

“The summer hasn’t even officially started yet it’s already getting out of hand,” one Brooklyn cop told The Post. “Everyone has a gun and the shooters are getting younger. That’s a bad formula for fighting crime.”

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Over the past month, the NYPD has recorded 117 victims in 98 shootings, up from 81 people shot in 74 incidents over the same month in 2023 – a 44% rise in victims and 32% bump in shootings.
“It’s that time of year,” Christopher Herfmann, a former NYPD crime analyst and an assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice specializing in gun violence said Wednesday.
“The weather is getting hotter, kids are getting out of school, more people are taking vacation – all of these things are part of it,” Herrmann said. “It’s just what tends to happen. My guess is you’ll see a couple more shootings today or tomorrow.”
7
7
NYPD officers respond to a multiple shooting at a city housing project — one of several that have recently plagued the city. Matthew McDermott
7
NYPD on the scene of a multiple shooting in Inwood that left two victims with life-threatening injuries. KEVIN C DOWNS
City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak responded to the data by saying Mayor Eric Adams “has been clear that public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity.”
“Following double-digit decreases in shootings in both 2022 and 2023, and with both shooting incidents and the number of shooting victims down citywide so far this year, in addition to overall crime being down, the NYPD is aware and laser focused on addressing the uptick this month,” the spokesperson said.
“Additional resources are being deployed to the impacted precincts. We will not rest until all New Yorkers both are safe and feel safe.”
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“My guess is you’ll see a couple more shootings today or tomorrow,” during the heat dome, said Christopher Herrmann, a former NYPD crime analyst. Matthew McDermott
An NYPD spokesperson also noted summerlike conditions could be a contributing factor while emphasizing crime is down overall.
“While one shooting or one homicide will always be one too many, crime in New York City clearly continues to trend in the right direction,” the spokesperson said.
“Historically, certain crimes such as shootings tend to increase as the warmer summer weather approaches. When summer officially begins next week, the men and women of the NYPD will continue the tireless work they do each day and night to advance public safety and quality of life.”
On Sunday three people were killed and four others wounded in five separate Father’s Day shootings.
Police said a 44-year-old man was shot in the face, a 40-year-old man in the chest and a 37-year-old man struck in the leg in a single shooting in Inwood on Sunday night – with the older two dying.
That came about a half hour after Tyreek Ogarro, 32, was shot multiple times at the Brevoort Houses public housing complex in Bedford-Stuyvesant and later died at Kings County Hospital, cops said.
On Saturday night, two people were shot inside Livonia Park in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood – a 53-year-old woman hit in the leg and torso and a man, 70, hit in the left leg, according to police.
It was one of five shootings during the course of the day.
On June 11, an armed bystander shot a 39-year-old man who was menacing street food vendors with a knife in Midtown Manhattan, pulling the gun and firing as the scuffle escalated.
The victim was hit in the leg and survived.
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Two people were shot inside a Brooklyn park on Saturday, part of a bloody weekend that saw multiple shootings. Paul Martinka
The day before an 84-year-old woman sitting in her walker in East Flatbush was hit by a stray bullet and in her left arm and rushed to the hospital – where she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
“It’s a miracle,” victim Althea Lawson told The Post from her hospital bed. “I don’t have enough tongue to tell God thanks I’m still here today. Thank God it never hit me in the head!”
Despite the recent spike in gunplay, most major crimes have dipped in the Big Apple over last year, including a nearly 15% dip in murders so far this year compared to 2023.
Police stats show that there were 157 murders reported through Sunday, down from 184 over the same period last year, while burglaries were down nearly 10% and car thefts dropped by 10.5%.
Year-to-date shootings were also down slightly, with 465 victims wounded in 392 incidents through Sunday compared to 494 people hit in 423 shootings over the same period last year.
However, other crimes have crept upward in the past year, including rapes, which are up to 734 from 583 this time last year and robberies, which have risen to 7,505 this year compared to 7,120 at the same time last year – jumps of 7.5% and 5.4%, respectively.
7
Three people were shot in the Bronx on East 221st Street, part of a recent jump in gunplay in the five boroughs.



Felony assaults are also up, with 12,950 so far in 2024 and 12,252 at this time in 2023.


The NYPD spokesperson said overall crime is down 2% in 2024 year-to-date, and the dip in homicides means 29 fewer people injured by gunfire and 27 few victims of murder so far. Homicides are also down.


“During the same 28-day period solely focused on by the Post, homicides, in fact, are down another 3.6 percent compared to the same period last year,” the spokesperson said. The NYPD has seized nearly 3,200 illegal guns off the street this year, the spokesperson added.


“This is just one of the ways our city has made considerable progress in reducing crime and violence since the start of this administration, and New Yorkers can count on the NYPD’s ongoing vigilance in every neighborhood,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to use this momentum to ensure that New York remains the safest big city in the nation.”

 

[The Bobster]

Times Square chaos sees 3 slashed, 1 pepper-sprayed and bitten in just four hours: cops

In the most recent crime, a 26-year-old man was slashed in the right arm in what appears to be an unprovoked attack on the No. 7 train platform at the Times Square subway hub around 3:45 a.m., cops…

nypost.com

Times Square chaos sees 3 slashed, 1 pepper-sprayed and bitten in just four hours: cops​

By
Social Links for Joe Marino ,
Social Links for Larry Celona ,
Social Links for Amanda Woods ,
Social Links for Caitlin McCormack and
Social Links for Matt Troutman



Published July 10, 2024, 1:25 p.m. ET













Three people were slashed and another pepper-sprayed and bitten near Times Square overnight into Wednesday — both in the subway and out on the street, authorities said.
The spate of unrelated attacks ended with a 26-year-old man slashed on his right arm as he stood on the 7 train platform at the Times Square subway hub about 3:45 a.m., cops said.
The victim claimed the suspect had accosted him previously — and, once confronted, the stranger knifed him in return, according to police sources.
4
A 26-year-old man was slashed in the right arm in what appears to be an unprovoked attack on the 7 train platform at the Times Square subway hub around 3:45 a.m., cops said. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post
The wounded man showed cops a photo of his attacker — and the suspect, identified as Michael Hernandez, 25, of Brooklyn, was soon busted by police, according to authorities and sources.

Hernandez was charged with second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, cops said.
Officers found a switchblade in the left pocket of his shorts, sources said.

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In an unrelated attack around 1 a.m., Sara Flores, 19, was walking through Bryant Park, at West 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue, when she told Jennifer Tompkins, 30 — a complete stranger — that a group had just jumped her, cops said.
Tompkins warned Flores to leave her alone or she’d pepper-spray her — but Flores persisted, according to police.
Then an all-out brawl ensued between the women — with Tompkins allegedly pepper-spraying Flores and biting her on the lip — and Flores stabbing Tompkins in the head and the ribs, cops said.
4
One woman was slashed and another pepper-sprayed and bitten during a vicious Bryant Park brawl, cops said. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post
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Both women were arrested and charged with assault and menacing, cops said. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post
Both women were arrested with assault and menacing, both in the second degree, police said.
Flores is from the Bronx and Tompkins from Queens, authorities said.
The earliest assault unfolded around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, when a 31-year-old man was slashed in the stomach after getting into an argument with another man on the southbound A, C and E platform, cops said.
4
A 31-year-old man was slashed in the stomach after getting into an argument with another man on the southbound A, C and E platform at Times Square, cops said. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post
The victim was taken to Bellevue, where he was listed in stable condition, police said.
The nature of the violent clash was unclear Wednesday, and no arrests have been made.
The chaotic incidents came hours after Mayor Eric Adams touted how much the Crossroads of the World is thriving.







“Any time you don’t believe the city’s back, just go hit Times Square and you see just the people walking, just enjoying being in our city,” Hizzoner said at a Monday morning briefing.


Felony assaults are up about 13% so far this year in the confines of the Midtown South Precinct, which covers Times Square.




A total of 276 such crimes were reported from the beginning of the year through Sunday, compared to 244 during the same period in 2023, the latest data show.


Overall felony crime, however, is down in the precinct’s confines so far this year, with 1,766 incidents reported compared to 2,022 last year.


Thomas Anderson, 49, said those crime statistics made him feel nervous before visiting the city from Vermont for the first time this week.


“The problem is that if people don’t have options, they commit crimes,” he said.


Sherri, a commuter from Suffolk County, is glad that she is strictly in the city until 5 p.m. every day. She blames crime on the legalization of weed and poor mental health.


“There’s a lot of mental health that comes into play and there’s just not enough help out there, so unfortunately other people are the victims of that,” she said.


Michael Hargwood, 36, and his father Warren Hargwood, 62, said they didn’t find crime to be as big an issue as it’s made out to be, especially on the subway.


“It’s not as bad as they say it is, it comes in spurts,” Michael said. “Earlier this year, you were inundated with incidents on the subway and now there’s none, I think after the National Guard came in the blink of an eye and now they’re not there.”

 

[The Bobster]

Shooting on Upper East Side leaves one woman dead, another clinging to life

Two women were shot – one killed and one left clinging to life – on the Upper East Side as a child sat in the back seat of a car nearby, cops and sources said.

nypost.com

Shooting on Upper East Side leaves one woman dead, another clinging to life​

By
Social Links for Joe Marino and
Social Links for Amanda Woods



Published July 26, 2024, 9:45 a.m. ET













Two women were shot, with one killed and one left clinging to life, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan as a child sat in the back seat of a car nearby, cops and sources said.

One of two women shot died at the scene. James Messerschmidt / New York Post
The two victims were shot on East 88th Street near York Avenue in an apparently domestic-related incident minutes before 9 a.m., according to police and sources.


One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where she is listed in critical condition, sources said.


A 4-year-old child was sitting in the back seat of a car at the time, but it’s unclear whether the deadly violence happened inside the car or outside, sources said.

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A witness told The Post he initially thought the gunfire came from nearby Gracie Mansion.


“I heard yelling, and then I heard shots. I jumped into my doorway for cover,” the man said, as sirens blared around him. “And then I looked and I saw the lady with the white hair fall onto the sidewalk. I thought something might have happened down by Gracie Mansion and she was hit by a stray bullet.”

A witness thought they heard shots come from near Gracie Mansion J. Messerschmidt for NY Post
“But then when I went closer, I saw there was another woman lying behind the car who was also shot,” he added. “There was a 4-year-old child in the car. I called 911. The police responded immediately, and EMS.”


The witness said the woman on the sidewalk appeared older, and more seriously injured, possibly having been shot in the head.


The younger woman in the street was “slightly breathing at the time,” he recounted.

 

[The Bobster]

Suspects still loose after three wounded in two overnight NYC shootings

Three people were wounded in two separate overnight shootings in the Bronx, police said.

nypost.com

Suspects still loose after three wounded in two overnight NYC shootings​

By
Social Links for Dean Balsamini



Published July 27, 2024, 11:35 a.m. ET













Three people were hurt in two shootings in the Bronx overnight, police said.
A man, 39, was shot in the left hand and a woman, 23, was struck in the right leg on Webster Avenue and East 180th Street in Tremont at around 2:45 a.m. Saturday, cops said.
Both victims went to St. Barnabas Hospital in stable condition, authorities said.
Police were looking for a man dressed in black, who sped off eastbound on East 180th Street in a black Mercedes.
3
A 28-year-old man was shot in the right thigh outside 526 Van Nest Ave. around 8:40 p.m., police said. Citizen App

3
EMS transported the victim to Jacobi Hospital in stable condition, cops said. Citizen App

3
Police are searching for a man wearing a gray hoodie and black pants who ran southbound on Van Nest Avenue. Citizen App
Cops believe the shooter was involved in an argument with another individual and the victims were not the intended targets.
There have been no arrests.
Blood was also spilled in the Bronx Friday when a man, 28, was shot in the right thigh at 526 Van Nest Ave. around 8:40 p.m., police said.



The victim was at Jacobi Hospital in stable condition, cops said.


There have been no arrests.


Police were searching for a man wearing a gray hoodie and black pants who ran southbound on Van Nest Avenue.

 

[The Bobster]

Exclusive | Robberies, assaults surge in Central Park, leaving New Yorkers and NYC tourists terrified: ‘Never felt this unsafe’

Robberies and assaults are skyrocketing in Central Park, leaving tourists and lifelong New Yorkers on edge due to violent teens, vagrants and migrants roaming the streets.

nypost.com

Robberies, assaults surge in Central Park, leaving New Yorkers and NYC tourists terrified: ‘Never felt this unsafe’​

By
Georgia Worrell and
Tina Moore



Published Aug. 10, 2024, 8:29 a.m. ET













Robberies and assaults are skyrocketing in Central Park, leaving tourists and lifelong New Yorkers on edge thanks to a troubling mix of violent teens, unhinged vagrants and lawless migrants roaming the troubled green space.
There’s been a 222% spike in the number of robberies so far in 2024, compared to the same point in 2023, NYPD data show.
This year’s 29 incidents already surpasses the total number reported in 2019, according to the data.
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The NYPD said the department has deployed more officers throughout Central Park to combat the current crime trends. G.N.Miller/NYPost
11
The number of robberies and felony assaults have skyrocketed in Central Park, NYPD data show. The New York Post

Felonious assaults have jumped 100%, doubling from five to 10, and are up from seven in all of 2019, according to the data.

“I’ve started waiting to come in here later because when I come in here too early. I see a lot of people who, unfortunately, have mental health issues, and they’re screaming,” said Upper East Side resident Kirsten Edwards — who now waits until later in the day to take her dog for a walk because the early morning seems more dangerous.

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“Frankly, I’ve never felt this unsafe in Central Park.”
Major crimes in the park overall are up 49% — from 47 to 70. And there have been two rapes reported in the park this year, compared to none during the same period last year, the data show.
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Sunbathers laying out in the sun in Central Park’s iconic Great Lawn. James Messerschmidt
In one Aug. 1 incident reminiscent of the “wilding” of the 1980s, a gang of up to 20 people, some believed to be as young as 8, surrounded and robbed 37-year-old software developer Julian De Flandres as he sat on a bench near Wollman Rink.
Other recent robberies and assaults include:

• A 21-year-old man robbed while sitting on a park bench at West 59th Street and Center Drive on July 8, when a stranger snatched his phone and $80 and demanded, “Put in your password,” police said.
• An 83-year-old man taking photos inside the park around 3 p.m. on May 23 at 94 West Drive had his camera snatched by a thief who then ran away with it.
• Ashikur Chowdhury, 25, made The Post’s front page when he charged at two teens — one armed with a gun — who threatened to shoot him for his cell phone as he walked through the park on his way home to Harlem on April 26. The teens fled.
• A 42-year-old man was taking photos at East 59th Street and East Drive around 6:10 a.m. April 26 when he was held at gunpoint, robbed and assaulted while taking pictures inside the park.
• A woman was sexually assaulted on April 25 by a pervert who grabbed her and demanded, “Give me your phone, give me your wallet, give me sex,” authorities said.

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Jermaine Longmire is arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on attempt rape charges after he was arrested for trying to rape a woman in Central Park who was sunbathing. Curtis Means/POOL
The rising crime is upending daily routines followed for decades.
“I stay where I am close to the road and [where] other people can hear me. It’s a bummer because I never used to have to worry about safety,” said Upper West Side opera singer Alyson Cambridge, 45, who’s been running in the park for nearly 30 years.
She avoids dark and empty paths, Cambridge said.
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NYPD’s Midtown North Precinct has seen a 96% jump in robberies and a 60% rise in felony assaults, city data shows. Peter Gerber
“I’m always looking over my shoulder,” she added. “If I’m running and have my earbuds in, if I see a shadow I jump. It sucks.”
Some of the problems stem from at least one nearby migrant shelter, said a 57-year-old woman, referring to the 600-room Watson Hotel on West 57th Street, which was converted to a migrant shelter in November of 2022. That area — the NYPD’s Midtown North Precinct — has seen a 96% jump in robberies and a 60% rise in felony assaults, city data shows.
“We’re in close proximity to the worsening conditions of West 57th Street,” she said. “So it doesn’t surprise me that there’s more crime moving in here as well.”
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Harlem native Ashikur Chowdhury, 25, was jumped in Central Park in April by two teenagers and was able to fight them off. Aristide Economopoulos
A 61-year-old investment banker who identified himself as John said he has been using the park for a decade and has noticed a larger police presence recently, with NYPD vans parked near and a giant light shining on the Great Lawn at night.
“An officer recently told my wife ‘Don’t go in the park alone,'” he said. “I don’t ever let her go in the park alone at night but they were saying even during the day she should be with somebody. It’s freaky. It’s unsettling.”
And it’s changed the park-going experience, visitors said.
11
The Post front page story about a spate of robberies in Central Park.
“My head is definitely on a swivel in here all the time. You have to protect yourself,” said an actor who lives on the Upper West Side and declined to give his name because he feared retribution for his views. “I think you really have to stop a lot of the progressive laws that are in place right now that are really bad.”
SoHo nanny Alexa Makuch sought therapy after getting flashed by a random sicko in broad daylight in the Strawberry Fields section of Central Park.
Makuch, 25, had been picnicking with another friend on July 14 when the man came up and disrobed in front of them, she said.
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An alleged thief who stole a woman’s camera equipment was caught on camera in Central Park.
The stunned pair pulled out their phones to record the man, and yelled, “We’re recording you!” before he pulled up his pants and ran away.
“In Central Park, you definitely feel like it’s supposed to be an oasis — that’s the whole point of it, and I feel a little bit like that feeling was taken away from me since this happened,” Makuch added. “It’s sad.”
Tourist Tiger Ashtiani of Los Angeles won’t be going back to the park any time soon.
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Kevin Taylor, 35, was arrested in connection with a sex assault in the park on April 26. no credit
“I’m honestly scared to go to Central Park, which is sad, but when I went I noticed lots of, like, disheveled-looking people around and people sleeping in tents in some parts and it didn’t feel totally safe,” said Ashtiani, 24. “I also feel like there’s lots of corners and hidden areas where bad people could be hiding.
“I wear nice jewelry and would rather not have it be stolen…I come to New York to have a good time, not a scary time,” he added.
Conor Wright, who was visiting the Big Apple from Seattle this week, said the crime surge in the landmarked space was “frightening and disturbing.”





“I wasn’t expecting crime to happen here — just the bad neighborhoods people had warned me about…It’s crazy that it’s even happening here in Central Park, which you’d think would be safe,” said Wright.


Crimes in the famed park are “magnified,” and major ones could have a huge impact on tourism in the city, said John Jay Prof. Eugene O’Donnell.


“If you’re the mayor this is the kind of an issue that you should be on high alert about,” O’Donnell said.


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Robberies and assaults are skyrocketing in Central Park, leaving tourists and lifelong New Yorkers on edge due to violent teens, vagrants and migrants roaming the streets. Michael Nagle
Robberies and assaults are often underreported nationally, O’Donnell added, speculating that the actual number of incidents in Central Park is probably higher.


“My guess is people’s instincts are to not report crime at this point,” he said.


Lefty criminal justice reforms such as changes to bail laws have resulted in more people on the street who would have been behind bars or under law enforcement monitoring five years ago, noted O’Donnell, a former Brooklyn and Queens prosecutor.


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This year’s 29 incidents already surpasses the total number reported in 2019, according to the data. Michael Nagle



“You’ve got a lot of people at large who, 10 years ago, would not be at large for various reasons, and they’re out there, and we continue to pretend that does not have an impact on public safety,” he said.


The NYPD said the department has deployed more officers throughout Central Park to combat the current crime trends, and that it “continues to explore innovative methods and new technologies” such as deploying drones and more cameras.


“The safety and security of all New Yorkers, including those that visit Central Park, is of paramount concern for the men and women of the New York City Police Department,” the spokesperson said.