A stranger slipped behind the counter of a Bronx business on East 169th Street this past July, grabbed cash from a tip jar, and got into a physical struggle with a 39-year-old employee who tried to stop him before running off. Nearly two months later, the case remains unsolved, and the NYPD is asking the public for help tracking the suspect down.
According to NYPD Crime Stoppers
, the incident happened on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at approximately 12:30 p.m. inside a commercial establishment at 565 East 169th Street, within the confines of the 42nd Precinct. Police say an unidentified individual went behind the counter and forcibly removed an unknown amount of currency from the tip jar before fleeing on foot to parts unknown.
The employee did not simply watch it happen. Per the same post, the 39-year-old worker attempted to stop the unidentified individual, and the two ended up in a physical altercation before the suspect got away.
Reward Offered, Suspect Still Unidentified
NYPD Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $3,500 for information that leads to an arrest and indictment in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or the Spanish-language hotline at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website or the X account @NYPDTips.
A Familiar Pattern in the Bronx
This is not the only recent case of someone going behind a Bronx counter to grab cash and run. As reported by westchester.news12.com, four suspects were wanted in connection with an early Monday morning gunpoint robbery at a deli in Morrisania. Surveillance video reportedly showed three masked men entering the Boston Deli on East 169th Street, with one going behind the counter and taking money from the cash register. Police in that case said no one was injured and that $300 was taken, and the outlet noted that anyone who recognized the suspects was asked to call Crime Stoppers at the same 1-800-577-TIPS number.
It is unclear whether the two East 169th Street incidents are connected in any way; the dossier does not establish a link between them. What is clear is that the July robbery and the physical confrontation that followed remain unresolved, with no suspect description, arrest, or charges made public in the tip jar case as of this report.
