A 15-year-old boy was punched in the face and robbed of his cellphone just before 3:40 p.m. on May 21 in front of 2780 Reservoir Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights, right as students would have been streaming out of the building for dismissal. The teen initially refused to hand over his phone when a man demanded it, according to investigators, but the confrontation turned violent when the man punched him and pulled the device from his grasp before running off on foot.
The address is home to the Walton Educational Campus, a public school building in Geographic District #10 that houses several secondary schools, including the International School for Liberal Arts and the Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music, according to WritLargeNYC. The building formerly operated as the historic Walton High School before it was converted into a multi-school campus. As News 12 Bronx reports, EMS treated the teen for his injuries at the scene following the attack.
Police described the suspect as last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black pants, black sneakers and a blue surgical facemask. He remains at large, and detectives are looking for the man who robbed the 15-year-old boy.
A School With a Troubled Recent History
This isn't the first time violence has struck this exact address. Back in November 2021, a 15-year-old student stabbed a 14-year-old classmate with scissors inside Walton High School, an incident that led to an arrest by 52nd Precinct officers and left the victim hospitalized in stable condition, per the Bronx Times.
The stretch of Reservoir Avenue outside the campus falls under the jurisdiction of the NYPD's 52nd Precinct, headquartered at 3016 Webster Avenue, which patrols Kingsbridge Heights, Bedford Park, Fordham and Norwood, as Hoodline has previously reported. That command has seen its own share of street violence recently — in February, a 59-year-old man was struck in the face with a glass bottle and robbed of his wallet inside the nearby Kingsbridge Road subway station, requiring treatment at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, according to the Norwood News.
Robberies Climbing in the 52nd Precinct
The teen's robbery adds to a troubling trend in the area. Reported robberies in the 52nd Precinct rose nearly 9% year-over-year in early 2026, with at least 124 cases recorded in the command, according to police data relayed by News12 Bronx in Hoodline’s earlier coverage of a violent Villa Avenue robbery. That local spike stands in contrast to broader citywide reductions in major crime, and it comes even after the NYPD deployed 20 to 30 additional officers across the 52nd, 46th and 48th Precincts in 2024 following requests from City Council Member Oswald Feliz over localized crime concerns.
The borough-wide picture has looked different at times. Bronx-wide reported robberies actually fell 29.2% during a 28-day period ending in January 2025, dropping from 449 cases to 318 year-over-year, with 11 of 12 Bronx precincts recording temporary drops during that stretch. But the 52nd Precinct's more recent 2026 numbers suggest that citywide and borough-wide gains haven't fully reached this stretch of the northwest Bronx.
Charge Could Carry Up to 15 Years
Because the suspect allegedly inflicted physical injury while forcibly stealing the teen's phone, the case could rise to Robbery in the Second Degree under New York Penal Law § 160.10(2)(a) — a Class C violent felony punishable by up to 15 years in state prison, according to legal information published by Justia. The physical blow to the teen's face is what elevates the offense above a lower-level third-degree robbery charge.
Police are asking anyone with information to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Tipsters can also use the dedicated Spanish-language line at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), a resource particularly relevant given the neighborhood's largely Spanish-speaking population. Crime Stoppers, run in partnership with the New York City Police Foundation, offers anonymous cash rewards of up to $3,500 for tips leading to an arrest and indictment in violent felony cases.
