A 24-year-old food delivery driver was confronted by an armed man just before 2 a.m. Thursday outside 530 Exterior Street in University Heights, losing two pizza pies and an order of wings to the gunman before he fled. Police are still searching for the suspect, who displayed a firearm tucked in his waistband during the encounter.
According to News12 New York, the armed man approached the delivery driver in front of the building and removed the food items directly from him. Police sources told the outlet that two pizza pies and wings were taken in the encounter, and no injuries have been reported. The Exterior Street address is part of a 13-story, 157-unit affordable housing complex that opened in 2017, according to Affordable Housing Hub.
A Felony Charge if Caught
Under New York law, forcibly stealing property while displaying or armed with what appears to be a firearm rises to Robbery in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony that can carry a state prison sentence of up to 25 years, according to New York Penal Law Section 160.15 as cited by the NYS Senate. The statute addresses robbery involving a weapon.
It remains unclear whether the victim was working for a delivery app or was a direct employee of the restaurant that made the order, and it is not known whether investigators are reviewing security footage from the building to help identify the gunman. The report notes police are actively looking for the man responsible.
Part of a Rising Robbery Trend in the Precinct
The robbery adds to a troubling pattern in the area. NYPD CompStat data for the 46th Precinct, which covers University Heights, Fordham, Morris Heights, and Mount Hope, recorded 313 robberies year-to-date through September 6, an 11% increase over the 282 robberies logged during the same span in 2025. That local uptick comes even as borough-wide numbers had shown improvement earlier: NYPD data cited by the Bronx Times showed robberies across the Bronx fell 22% during a 28-day period ending in February 2025 compared to the year before, though felony assaults rose 2.3% over that same stretch.
This is not an isolated case of a delivery worker being targeted at gunpoint in the borough. Earlier this month, NYPD Crime Stoppers put out a public appeal for four suspects tied to a separate string of armed robberies targeting delivery couriers in the Wakefield section of the Bronx, as Hoodline previously reported.
A Job With Documented Risks
Academic research underscores how often couriers face violence on the job. A 2024 study from the CUNY School of Public Health, published in the Journal of Urban Health, found that 20.8% of surveyed New York City food delivery gig workers reported being assaulted on the job. The same research drew on a 2021 city survey.
The article also discusses violence against delivery workers in recent weeks. Anyone with information on the University Heights robbery is encouraged to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers, which the report lists as a contact for tips.
