A 49-year-old man was near Kossuth Avenue and East Mosholu Parkway North in the Bronx's Norwood neighborhood at around 5 a.m. on Friday, August 28, when four unidentified individuals approached him, punched him about the body and ran off with his backpack, which held his cellphone and headphones. The individuals fled on foot to parts unknown.
NYPD Crime Stoppers detailed the attack in a post on X, according to NYPD Crime Stoppers
, which is now asking the public for help identifying the four individuals. The agency is offering a reward of up to $3,500 for information leading to an arrest and indictment, according to the
New York City Police Foundation
. Anyone with information can call 1-800-577-TIPS or send a direct message to @NYPDTips.
A Corridor Near Major Hospitals With a History of Violence
The robbery happened just blocks from NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx at 3424 Kossuth Avenue. The same stretch of East Mosholu Parkway North has seen violence before: on April 9, 2026, a 26-year-old man was hospitalized after being slashed in the left leg with a knife in front of 25 East Mosholu Parkway North in Norwood, the Bronx, per the Norwood News. According to NYC Health + Hospitals, North Central Bronx has provided care since opening in 1976, including women's health services, primary care, pediatrics and specialty care. NYC Health + Hospitals describes North Central Bronx as a 213-bed community hospital at 3424 Kossuth Avenue.
The location falls under the jurisdiction of the NYPD's 52nd Precinct, headquartered at 3016 Webster Avenue and responsible for patrolling Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Bronx Park and University Heights, the outlet reports. Earlier this year, the NYPD restructured Bronx policing by splitting the borough into two separate commands, Patrol Borough Bronx North and Patrol Borough Bronx South, with the 52nd Precinct falling under the northern command, the same account notes.
Robberies Climbing Even as Citywide Violence Falls
Reported robberies in the 52nd Precinct rose nearly 9% year-over-year in early 2026, reaching at least 124 incidents even as major violent crime categories declined citywide, according to Hoodline. That local uptick has coincided with reports of other robberies in the northwest Bronx: NYPD hunts pair in Norwood robbery of a 70-year-old man earlier this year. In February, detectives were also hunting a four-man crew accused of three pre-dawn cellphone robberies near the Bronx's D train line, including an attack in which a victim was punched. According to the NYPD, citywide robberies were down by 1,600 incidents in 2025 compared with the prior year. The NYPD reported a 13.5% citywide decline in robberies, from 1,352 to 1,170, in the period cited in its announcement.
Legal Exposure for a Four-Person Crew
Under New York Penal Law § 160.10, forcibly stealing property while aided by another person who is actually present, or while causing physical injury, constitutes Robbery in the Second Degree, a Class C violent felony carrying a prison sentence of up to 15 years, according to the New York State Senate. Because four people are accused of taking part in the attack, prosecutors could also pursue Gang Assault in the Second Degree under Penal Law § 120.06, a Class C felony that applies whenever three or more people act together in an assault, regardless of any formal street gang affiliation, per the Tilem & Associates.
Tips submitted through Crime Stoppers remain confidential. It remains unclear whether investigators will be able to connect this attack to the other early-morning robbery patterns reported elsewhere in the precinct this year.
