A 36-year-old man was slashed and robbed of his chain in Riverdale on Saturday evening, according to police, in a fast-moving attack near one of the neighborhood’s busiest corners.
The incident happened near Broadway and Van Cortlandt Park South at about 7:40 p.m. during what investigators describe as a grab-and-run attempt. The victim was taken to a hospital with a cut to his left arm and is expected to recover. Two suspects took off from the scene on a moped.
What police say
Police say two men riding a moped pulled up on the victim, flashed a knife and tried to yank his chain. During the struggle, the victim was slashed across his left arm. Investigators say the pair then sped off on the moped, dressed in all black, and remain at large.
A nearby worker identified only as Robert told the station, “I’m shocked that happened here.” The account above is according to News12.
Precinct trends
The robbery comes as the NYPD's 50th Precinct, which covers Riverdale, Kingsbridge and Marble Hill, has logged year-to-date increases in some violent crime categories. Recent CompStat bulletins for the precinct show felony assaults and robberies running higher than during the same period last year, with felony assaults rising from 90 to 106 and robberies from 41 to 45 in the latest reports.
Those figures come from the NYPD's CompStat report for the 50th Precinct, part of the department’s weekly precinct bulletins tracking local crime trends.
A broader pattern and tips
Moped-enabled snatch-and-run robberies have been surfacing across the Bronx and nearby Queens this spring, according to local reporting and police bulletins. The quick hit-and-go style, where one rider closes in for jewelry and the crew then tears off, mirrors other cases in which investigators have released surveillance images of suspects.
Anyone with information about Saturday's robbery is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS or submit tips online, per the NYPD. Local coverage of similar moped snatches is available in a recent report on a moped chain-snatch crew zipping through the Bronx and Queens.
