Three unidentified intruders allegedly forced their way into an apartment in a residential building near Lexington Avenue and East 110th Street early on September 21, striking a 65-year-old man in the face before making off with roughly $925 in cash. The break-in happened around 3:30 a.m. in the 23rd Precinct, and at least one of the intruders displayed a firearm during the encounter, according to police.
Victims Ranged From Toddler to Senior Citizen
According to NYPD Crime Stoppers
, the people inside the apartment at the time included male victims ages 23, 35 and 65, along with a 10-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy. The post also referenced a 33-year-old victim, though the available NYPD materials are inconsistent on that person's gender — one portion of the post identifies a 33-year-old female victim, while another describes a 33-year-old male victim who was struck in the face. Hoodline could not resolve that discrepancy using the information NYPD has made public.
Police say the three individuals fled on foot afterward, with their direction and ultimate whereabouts unknown. No suspect descriptions, names or arrest information have been released. NYPD Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $3,500 for information that leads to an arrest and indictment in the case.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Armed Break-Ins
The East Harlem case follows a string of similarly brazen break-ins and robberies reported elsewhere in the city this fall. In Ridgewood, Queens, police said four suspects were involved in an armed home invasion on September 5 near Cypress Avenue and Gates Avenue, as reported by QNS. Two of those suspects allegedly kicked in an apartment door, displayed firearms and threatened a 59-year-old man before one gunman took two necklaces worth about $3,000. A 47-year-old woman was hurt in a physical struggle with two of the suspects during that incident and was later listed in stable condition at a hospital, the outlet reported.
That same QNS report noted that robberies in Queens' 104th Precinct have climbed sharply this year, with 149 reported through September 20 — 42 more than the 107 logged over the same stretch in 2025, a 39.3% jump. Felony assaults in that precinct were also up 10.6% over the same period, per the outlet's data.
Separate Robbery Pattern Reported in the Bronx
Elsewhere in the city, NYPD has also been seeking the public's help identifying a man connected to a string of robberies in the Bronx, according to SILive. In one of those incidents on September 12, a 49-year-old woman was robbed inside a residential building near Webster Avenue and East 170th Street after a man allegedly took $878 from her dog stroller and pushed her to the ground. Days later, on September 16, an unidentified man forcibly took about $40 from a 17-year-old boy near Rosedale Avenue and Soundview Avenue, the outlet reported.
A third robbery tied to that same pattern occurred on September 21 — the same day as the East Harlem incident — when a man forcibly took about $21,000 that had been inside a yellow envelope from a 20-year-old victim near Tinton Avenue and East 163rd Street, the same account notes. The suspect in that case fled on foot toward Prospect Avenue, and the victim was not injured.
Precinct Covers El Barrio's Northern Blocks
The 23rd Precinct, where the East Harlem robbery occurred, serves El Barrio north of East 96th Street, according to the NYPD. Notably, the same stretch of Lexington Avenue and 110th Street was the site of an earlier armed robbery a decade ago: in February 2016, police released surveillance photos of three men wanted for questioning after an armed robbery in that area, as reported by NY1. In that older case, one man allegedly displayed a gun and demanded the victims' belongings, leaving one victim shot in the knee and another pistol-whipped.
Anyone with information about the September 21 robbery is asked to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers 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 via the agency's X account, @nypdtips.
