A man sitting on a bench near West Mount Eden and Inwood Avenues was robbed at gunpoint just before 10:30 a.m. on October 9, with the armed suspect stripping him of his jewelry, backpack and cash before speeding off on a two-wheeled vehicle. The 37-year-old victim was simply seated on the bench when the gunman approached, made a threatening statement, and displayed a firearm, police say.
According to News 12 New York, the suspect forcibly removed the victim's belongings before fleeing the scene. Police are asking anyone with information to come forward, though no arrest has been announced. Under New York Penal Law § 160.15(4), displaying what appears to be a firearm while forcibly stealing property constitutes Robbery in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony that carries a mandatory state prison sentence of 5 to 25 years upon conviction, according to FindLaw.
A Tense Stretch for Mount Eden
The bench robbery lands in the middle of an unusually violent few weeks for the neighborhood. One day earlier, on October 8, a 30-year-old man was stabbed in the leg near Mount Eden Parkway and Sheridan Avenue during a struggle with two suspects on a scooter who were after his gold chain, part of a citywide spree involving more than 20 motorized-vehicle jewelry robberies reported since September, per VINnews. Separately, a man was fatally stabbed.
Earlier in the month, on October 1, the NYPD issued a public alert seeking tips after two armed suspects committed three robberies and attempted a fourth across Mount Eden in a single day. Taken together, the cluster of cases paints a picture of a neighborhood absorbing a concentrated run of serious felony investigations even as citywide and precinct-level robbery numbers trend downward.
In 2025, City Hall and the NYPD announced that moped-involved robbery patterns had dropped 68.2% year-to-date. The suspect's escape on a two-wheeled device in the bench robbery echoes that enforcement focus; a citywide series of necklace robberies has also involved mopeds and electric bikes.
The 44th Precinct, which operates out of its station house at 2 East 169th Street, covers 1.97 square miles in the southwest Bronx and serves nearly 150,000 residents.
How to Help the Investigation
Police have asked anyone with information about the bench robbery to come forward. The NYPD's Crime Stoppers program accepts anonymous tips through 1-800-577-TIPS or online.
