Gunfire tore through a Claremont block in the Bronx just after midnight Thursday, leaving an 18-year-old wounded and shattering the windows of a nearby ambulance as paramedics yelled for help over their radios. The burst of violence drew a heavy police and EMS response and rattled neighbors who woke to sirens and crime-scene tape.
Police said officers were called to a shooting at 1345 Webster Avenue at about 12:18 a.m., where they found an 18-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition. As first responders flooded the area, officers and ambulances shut down East 169th Street and East 170th Street during the response, as reported by News 12 Bronx.
In the chaos, a nearby ambulance was hit, its front and back windows left broken, and paramedics' radios captured tense calls for help. Audio shared with News 12 Bronx recorded one medic saying, "We're being shot at... somebody help us." Police said no EMS crew members were hurt.
Scene and police response
Officers stayed at the scene for hours, securing the block and going door to door in search of witnesses while crime-scene investigators collected shell casings and other evidence. It was not immediately clear whether anyone had been arrested, and the NYPD had not released additional details by midmorning.
Paramedics under strain
The incident comes as New York City EMS workers continue to sound the alarm about violence on the job and ongoing staffing problems. Union leaders have pushed for better pay and protections to keep paramedics and EMTs from leaving the profession, a fight that industry outlet EMS1 has closely followed through coverage of Local 2507's campaign for pay parity. At the same time, city shooting statistics tracked on NYC Open Data show that gun violence remains a persistent public-safety problem in many neighborhoods.
Police said the investigation into the Claremont shooting is ongoing. Anyone with information was urged to contact the NYPD, and local residents who captured video or audio of the incident were encouraged to share it with detectives.
