Two unidentified men on a black-and-white moped forcibly ripped a necklace off a 30-year-old man near Van Cortlandt Park South and Mosholu Parkway last Thursday, then beat him when the jewelry fell to the ground before speeding away with it, according to police. The attack happened at approximately 5:15 p.m. within the confines of the 52nd Precinct, and the suspects remain at large.
According to NYPD Crime Stoppers, the two individuals approached the victim, forcibly removed his necklace, and fled the scene on the moped to parts unknown after the physical assault. The NYPD is asking anyone with information to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), submit a tip through the Crime Stoppers website, or reach out on X at @NYPDTips. Spanish speakers can call 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
This is not an isolated incident for the stretch of the northern Bronx surrounding the park. Just last month, two moped-riding robbers flashed a knife, slashed a 36-year-old man across the arm, and stole his gold chain near Broadway and Van Cortlandt Park South — blocks from Mosholu Parkway — in an attack Hoodline previously reported left the victim hospitalized.
A Precinct Bucking the Citywide Crime Decline
The robbery falls within the jurisdiction of the NYPD's 52nd Precinct, headquartered at 3016 Webster Avenue and covering Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Norwood, Bronx Park, and University Heights, per the NYPD. Reported robberies in the precinct rose nearly 9 percent year-over-year in early 2026, recording at least 124 cases even as overall major violent crime metrics declined across New York City. That localized spike has coincided with a string of similar moped and scooter attacks this month alone, including a scooter-mounted necklace grab targeting a 39-year-old Bedford Park woman and a violent robbery of a 70-year-old man at a Norwood corner.
In April, NYPD detectives released surveillance stills connecting a crew riding mopeds in packs of up to six to a broader, multi-precinct pattern of chain-snatchings and assaults spanning the Bronx's 42nd, 50th, and 52nd Precincts as well as Queens. It remains unknown whether Thursday's two suspects are tied to that earlier pattern or to the moped crew accused in July's Van Cortlandt Park slashing, and investigators have not said whether nearby surveillance or doorbell cameras captured the pair's escape route.
City Crackdown on Illegal Mopeds Intensifies
The attack adds to a growing citywide concern over unregistered motorized two-wheelers used as getaway vehicles in street robberies. In 2024, the NYPD seized a record 27,710 illegal and unregistered scooters, mopeds, and ATVs across the city — a 50 percent jump over 2023 — contributing to more than 62,300 total seizures through June 2025, according to figures from the New York City Mayor's Office. By May 2026, the department had already seized over 5,700 illegal mopeds and scooters that year and had publicly crushed more than 200 confiscated vehicles with bulldozers to enforce what officials describe as zero tolerance.
To address the localized spike in violent street crime, the NYPD has deployed 20 to 30 additional officers across the 52nd, 46th, and 48th Precincts. Under New York Penal Law § 160.10, forcibly stealing property while aided by another person present, or while causing physical injury to a victim, constitutes Robbery in the Second Degree — a Class C violent felony that carries a mandatory state prison sentence upon conviction, should the suspects be identified and charged.
Anyone with information about the men or the moped is urged to contact police. Tips leading to an arrest and indictment may also qualify for a cash reward of up to $3,500 through the NYPD Crime Stoppers program, which is administered by the independent New York City Police Foundation to guarantee tipster anonymity.
