A 28-year-old man was struck in the head with a baseball bat early Tuesday after he fought back against two suspects trying to rob him near Case Street and Elmhurst Avenue in Elmhurst, Queens. The attackers fled without the man's wallet, and police say both remain at large with no arrests made in the case.
The attack unfolded around 4:30 a.m. as the victim was walking through the area when two men approached and tried to force him to hand over his wallet, according to amNewYork. The victim resisted, and a physical struggle broke out before one of the suspects struck him in the head with a baseball bat. The pair then ran off in an unknown direction, leaving behind the wallet they'd come for.
Officers from the NYPD's 110th Precinct responded to the scene, and EMS rushed the victim to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, a 545-bed public hospital that operates a Level I Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons and treats more than 130,000 emergency patients a year, according to NYC Health + Hospitals. He was listed in stable condition. Police had no immediate description of the suspects as the investigation continued.
A Precinct Already Logging More Violence This Year
The attempted robbery lands in a precinct that's been watching its felony assault numbers climb all year. The 110th Precinct, which covers Elmhurst and Corona along with the dense commercial corridors of Roosevelt Avenue, Broadway, and Queens Boulevard, recorded 560 felony assaults through October 18, up 15.1 percent from 490 over the same stretch last year, per the same amNewYork report. Robberies in the precinct were also up 3.4 percent, with 346 reported this year compared to 334 last year.
That local trend lines up with a broader citywide shift. Research published by Vital City in October found that felony assault was the only major crime category in New York City to rise for six straight years through 2025, reaching 29,841 reported cases — a 43 percent jump over 2019 levels — even as homicides and shootings across the city fell to historic lows. Property crimes and deadly shootings have dropped, but nonfatal violent altercations like the one on Elmhurst Avenue have kept climbing.
The Allegations in the Case
Two men allegedly tried to take the victim's wallet, and one struck him with a baseball bat during the struggle. Police have made no arrests.
Police Ask Public for Help Finding Suspects
With no suspect description released and the investigation still open, police are leaning on the public for leads. Crime Stoppers is accepting tips at 800-577-TIPS, with a Spanish-language line available at 888-57-PISTA, and the NYPD says all calls and messages are kept confidential. The program, run by the New York City Police Foundation, offers cash rewards of up to $3,500 for anonymous tips that lead to an arrest and indictment in violent felony cases, according to the NYPD.
The case echoes other recent bat attacks across the city. Hoodline reported on a Baychester man hospitalized after a similar group beating earlier this month. For now, the Elmhurst case remains unsolved, with investigators still working to identify the two men who fled into the predawn dark without the wallet they came for.
