Neighborhood Safety Team officers from the NYPD's 44th Precinct in the Bronx say they pulled an illegal gun off the street on Thursday after arresting an individual. The precinct shared a photo of the weapon and credited 44 NST officers with the apprehension, but did not name the person arrested or list any charges. For now, the precinct's social media post is the only public account of what happened.
Thursday, 44 NST Officers apprehended an individual who possessed this illegal firearm. pic.twitter.com/yfj5XspfbV
— NYPD 44th Precinct (@NYPD44Pct) April 25, 2026
What the 44th Precinct posted
In its brief post on X, the precinct wrote, in part, that "44 NST Officers apprehended an individual who possessed this illegal firearm" and included a close-up photo of the seized handgun, according to NYPD 44th Precinct. Deputy Inspector Joe A. Pulgarin is listed as the precinct's commanding officer on the NYPD's official page.
The post did not say where in the precinct the encounter took place, what prompted officers to stop the individual, or whether any charges have been filed. Those missing details leave key questions about the stop and the arrest unanswered for now.
Neighborhood Safety Teams and the monitor's findings
Neighborhood Safety Teams are specialized NYPD units created to focus on illegal guns and violent crime. Officers in these teams work in modified uniforms and use unmarked cars, according to NYPD Monitor.
The monitor's 2023 audit found that NST officers' self-initiated stops were supported by reasonable suspicion in only about 69% of the encounters it reviewed. The same report concluded that searches had a legal basis in roughly 63% of assessed encounters. Those numbers prompted sharp criticism from civil-rights advocates. The review also notes that NST assignments included Bronx commands such as the 44th Precinct.
Reaction and next steps
Civil-rights organizations, including the Legal Defense Fund and The Legal Aid Society, have seized on the monitor's findings to challenge NST tactics. They have described the units as prone to "hyper-aggressive policing," according to a statement from the Legal Defense Fund.
The 44th Precinct's post about Thursday's gun arrest offered no further operational details beyond the photo and one-sentence caption, and there is still no public word from the Bronx District Attorney's office about charges or case processing. This story will be updated if officials release more information.
