Police are searching for a 24-year-old man they say raped and robbed a woman near Jerome Avenue and Marcy Place in Mount Eden, nearly a month after the attack left her hospitalized. The suspect, identified as Ajene Nelson, remains at large as investigators press the public for tips that could lead to his arrest.
Detectives said Nelson attacked the 24-year-old victim on Sept. 29 in the Mount Eden section of the Bronx, according to News12 New York. Police said he is accused of snatching the woman's cellphone, valued at around $1,000, during the assault. Investigators said paramedics took her to Lincoln Hospital afterward, and police said she is expected to recover physically.
The NYPD has released a photo of the suspect and is urging anyone with information to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). No additional details about an arrest, charges, or Nelson's whereabouts have been made public.
A Neighborhood Already on Edge
The alleged attack comes about a week after a separate string of robberies rattled the same Mount Eden streets. The station's report on that earlier case detailed how two people carried out three robberies and attempted a fourth across the neighborhood in a single day on Sept. 21, targeting victims for cash, jewelry, electronics, a credit card and identification. Police said a gun was displayed during the first three confrontations, though no one was hurt in any of the four encounters.
In that spree, suspects allegedly approached a 51-year-old man in front of 1560 Grand Concourse and displayed a gun but fled empty-handed, per the same account. Later that day, at 127 East Fordham Road, they allegedly shoved a 31-year-old man into a store gate and took his credit card, identification and $15 before fleeing in a gray sedan. A 27-year-old man lost his AirPods and a chain in a separate confrontation, and near East 172nd Street and Sheridan Avenue, suspects made off with a chain, a cellphone and a key from a 26-year-old victim. It remains unclear whether that case is connected to the Sept. 29 attack Nelson is wanted for.
What the Numbers Show for the Bronx
Borough-wide crime data paints a mixed picture. Major crime across the Bronx fell 11.5% in the first half of 2026, the steepest drop of any New York City borough, as reported by Hoodline. Citywide, major crime dropped 5.6% over the same period, with robberies down 11.8% — though citywide robberies still sat 8.6% above 2019 levels, averaging roughly 36 a day.
Sexual assault reports have moved in the opposite direction. According to Bronx Times, reported rapes across the borough rose 22.9% during a 28-day comparison period from Sept. 8 to Oct. 5, climbing from 35 cases in 2024 to 43 in 2025. Within the 47th Precinct specifically, that same report found reported rapes jumped from just one case in 2024 to nine in 2025.
Other crime categories told a different story during that same window. Bronx Times reported that murders plummeted 73.3%, from 15 cases to four, while burglaries fell 19.2%, from 239 cases to 193. Overall, major crimes across the borough dipped 2.27% year over year, the outlet found, underscoring how uneven the trend lines can look depending on which offense is being measured.
For now, the search for Nelson continues, and police have not released further information about the investigation's status. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.
