Four men are on the run after a rapid-fire series of three violent cellphone robberies along the D train in the Bronx early Wednesday, a predawn spree that left one rider punched and two others staring down weapons, according to police.
As reported by News 12, the first reported attack happened at about 2 a.m. on a northbound D train approaching the 182nd Street and Grand Concourse station, when four men grabbed a 27-year-old rider's phone. One of the suspects pulled a handgun after the victim tried to take it back, authorities said. Detectives are reviewing surveillance video from the train and nearby platforms as they work to put names to faces.
Roughly 20 minutes later, the same crew is accused of approaching a 16-year-old girl on a southbound platform at the Tremont Avenue station. "One of the group took out a knife and demanded her things," police told News 12. The men fled with her phone and, just after 5 a.m., allegedly turned up near East 174th Street and Walton Avenue, where they reportedly punched a 20-year-old several times before taking his phone. When he tried to get it back, one of the suspects again produced a gun, according to investigators.
Police Seek Tips and Review Video
Police are asking anyone who might have seen the suspects or caught them on camera to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS and share what they know, according to ABC7. Local outlets have documented a string of assaults and robberies on the D line this winter, fueling transit-safety worries for Bronx riders as coverage by NBC New York and others shows.
What Riders Should Know
Detectives with Transit Bureau units are urging people who travel the D line in the affected area to check any home, business, or work cameras for footage that might show the suspects and to call Crime Stoppers with tips. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Otherwise, preserve any video you have and share it directly with investigators or submit an anonymous tip to the Crime Stoppers line listed above.
