Four men are facing kidnapping and robbery charges after allegedly chasing down a man with a car, forcing him inside, and stealing his backpack and cell phone in Mount Vernon. According to court records, the group pursued the victim before pulling him into their vehicle and driving off with his belongings.
The arrests, first reported by Lohud, describe a sequence in which the four men allegedly chased the victim down with a car before forcing him inside. Court records cited by the outlet say the men then stole the man's backpack and cell phone once he was in the vehicle.
Kidnapping Charge Carries Mandatory Prison Time
Kidnapping in the second degree, charged under New York Penal Law § 135.20, is a Class B violent felony that applies when someone intentionally abducts another person using force or threats of deadly force. A conviction carries a mandatory prison term of five to 25 years, according to Saland Law.
The other charge in the case is third-degree robbery.
Mount Vernon's Place in the County's Violent Crime Picture
The case lands in a city that Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace has flagged as a persistent hotspot for gun enforcement. In March, Cacace's office reported 15 gun-related recoveries in Mount Vernon during the fourth quarter of 2025; that figure included shell casings and items in the Other and Unknown categories. The office also reported 48 firearms recovered countywide, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.
That local focus comes even as violent crime has fallen sharply across the county overall. Annual data from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, reported by Talk of the Sound, showed violent crime across Westchester dropped 25 percent, from 1,888 incidents in 2024 to 1,422 in 2025. Mount Vernon continues to draw concentrated enforcement attention through the state's Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative, which funds joint operations between local police, county probation officers, and prosecutors, as Hoodline has previously reported.
Recent Precedent in Westchester Courts
The new arrests echo other recent violent crime cases tied to Mount Vernon. In September, Westchester County Court sentenced 33-year-old Mount Vernon resident Zaid Lewis to six years in state prison following an investigation into illegal firearm sales in the city, according to Daily Voice.
The Westchester County District Attorney's Office will oversee the prosecution of the latest case.
