The New York City Police Department reported on July 23 that a criminal gang has been repeatedly robbing people of their motorcycles and jewelry on the streets of Manhattan and the Bronx from mid-May to early July. The gang has been using violent methods, including threatening victims at gunpoint.
According to the NYPD’s Office of Public Information (DCPI), the criminal gang consists of 2 to 6 individuals, and they are linked to 6 robbery cases that occurred within the jurisdiction of the 19th, 20th, 33rd, 34th, and 44th precincts, which cover areas in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and Upper West Side.
In all the cases, the suspects used motorcycles as their mode of transportation and displayed firearms during the commission of the crimes, menacing the victims. Their targeted items include motorcycles and precious jewelry, particularly necklaces.
The most recent incident took place around 1:00 p.m. on July 8, where four suspects stole a motorcycle valued at about $31,000 parked outside 177 Fort Washington Ave. The suspects fled east along 168th Street after successfully taking the motorcycle. Later that same day around 3:15 p.m., six suspects confronted a 48-year-old male victim in front of 1010 Park Avenue, engaging in a physical altercation, during which one suspect brandished a firearm. Subsequently, the suspects fled north along Park Avenue riding the victim’s motorcycle valued at about $22,000.
Police stated that the criminal gang commenced their robbery spree in Manhattan on May 13. On that day, at noon, two male suspects held employees at gunpoint outside an apartment building at 46 East 91st Street in the Upper East Side and stole a motorcycle valued at $16,000.
On May 31, near West 185th Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue, two male suspects riding a black motorcycle brandished a gun and threatened a 53-year-old male victim, forcibly removing his necklace valued at $6,000. The victim sustained minor injuries, according to the police.
Around 12:40 p.m. on June 23, three male suspects riding two motorcycles approached a 40-year-old man in front of 28 West Mount Eden Ave, attempting to rob him of his necklace. However, the victim managed to escape unharmed, and no property was lost. On the same day, the same group of suspects also robbed a red motorcycle parked in front of 200 West 86th Street in the Upper West Side, valued at $6,000. The suspects fled west along 86th Street after the robbery.
Anyone with information is urged to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or submit tips on the Crime Stoppers website: https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or provide leads on the X platform police account @NYPDTips. All calls will be kept strictly confidential.