E-Bike Rider Rips Chain Off 74-Year-Old at Hudson River Park Bench

A 74-year-old man sitting on a bench at Pier 76 in Hudson River Park was robbed last Wednesday evening when an unidentified rider on an e-bike pulled up, snatched the chain from around his neck, and sped off south on 12th Avenue. The incident happened around 6:40 p.m. on August 12 inside 408 12th Avenue, within the confines of the NYPD's 10th Precinct, according to police.

According to NYPD Crime Stoppers, the suspect approached the victim as he sat on the bench before grabbing the chain and fleeing on the e-bike. Police have classified the incident as a grand larceny and are asking the public for information that could help identify the rider. The location corresponds to Pier 76, a 5.6-acre waterfront park that only opened to the public in June 2021 after New York State spent $20 million converting the site from an NYPD vehicle tow pound, according to 6sqft. The pier had served as Manhattan's primary police impound lot from 1977 until its conversion into public benches and riverfront space.

A Felony Regardless of the Chain's Value

The 10th Precinct, which covers the crime scene, is headquartered at 230 West 20th Street and patrols Chelsea, Hudson Yards, and Hell's Kitchen South along the West Side waterfront, per the NYPD. No monetary value for the stolen chain has been disclosed, but under New York Penal Law § 155.30(5), stealing property directly from a victim's body or clothing is automatically classified as Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony carrying up to four years in state prison, regardless of the item's worth, according to FindLaw. That statute explains why this case was charged as a felony even though the chain's price tag remains unknown.

The suspect's identity, along with the value of the stolen chain and whether the robbery was an isolated, opportunistic act or part of a broader motorized theft pattern on Manhattan's West Side waterfront, remains unresolved. Police have not said whether they believe the rider acted alone or is connected to other incidents in the area.

Part of a Larger Citywide Pattern

The Pier 76 robbery fits into a documented citywide trend of thieves using fast e-bikes and scooters to snatch property from pedestrians. NYPD officials reported in June 2024 that police had seized nearly 42,000 illegal two-wheeled motorized vehicles over a 30-month span, prompting the city to launch dedicated summer enforcement sweeps targeting unregistered bikes used in these kinds of thefts, per the City of New York. As recently as this month, NYPD patrol commands have expanded multi-precinct task forces that use aerial drones, tracking helicopters, and barrier trucks to locate and impound illegal two-wheeled vehicles tied to fleeing suspects, according to NYPD Patrol Borough Staten Island — a tactical shift meant to avoid dangerous high-speed street chases.

Citywide, reported grand larcenies have actually dipped slightly this year. NYPD CompStat figures through mid-August show 27,824 grand larceny complaints year-to-date, a 4.8 percent decrease from the 29,235 complaints logged over the same period in 2025. Still, incidents like the one at Pier 76 keep surfacing, and similar motorized snatch-and-grab crews have struck elsewhere in the city in recent months, including a moped crew that hit a driver at a red light on Exterior Street in the Bronx last Tuesday.

Policing Concerns in a Growing Neighborhood

Local officials have raised concerns about whether police staffing on the West Side has kept pace with the area's growth. Manhattan Community Board 4, which represents Chelsea and Hudson Yards, reported in its district needs statement that community policing staffing in the 10th Precinct dropped from 10 officers to 4, resulting in larger patrol beats across the neighborhood. The board has pushed for a new NYPD substation to support the area's rapid commercial and residential expansion.

Anyone with information about the Pier 76 robbery is asked to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), submit a tip online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or reach out via X to @NYPDTips. Spanish-speaking tipsters can call 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). NYPD Crime Stoppers, operated with the New York City Police Foundation and funded entirely through private donations, offers cash rewards of up to $3,500 for anonymous tips that lead to an arrest and grand jury indictment of a felony suspect. All calls to the hotline remain confidential.