A 60-year-old man was robbed near East 168th Street and Walton Street in the South Bronx, with police saying two suspects stole more than $1,000 worth of property and left him with minor injuries. The NYPD is now asking the public for help identifying the pair.
Police say the two suspects snatched the man's necklace directly from his neck during the encounter, according to News12 Bronx. The man suffered minor injuries in the robbery, and police have asked anyone who recognizes either suspect to come forward.
The case adds to a string of recent Bronx robbery investigations that have kept detectives busy across the borough this fall. In a separate appeal, the NYPD has been seeking public help identifying two people allegedly tied to a robbery pattern spanning the 40th, 42nd, 50th and 52nd precincts, according to a prior Hoodline report. The identities of those two suspects, along with the specific dates and locations of the robberies attributed to them, have not been released. There is no confirmation that this pattern is connected to the Walton Street robbery.
A Separate E-Bike Robbery Spree Since September
Another ongoing investigation involves two men on e-bikes wanted in connection with eight robberies and attempted robberies across the Bronx since September, per Hoodline's earlier coverage. Police believe those two suspects are between 17 and 22 years old. On Sept. 13, the same two suspects allegedly carried out five robberies or attempted robberies in the 49th Precinct in less than half an hour, according to the outlet.
Yet another Bronx case remains open: a 68-year-old man was robbed of necklaces, and police have not announced any arrests, according to the Shore News Network. Nothing in the available reporting ties that case, the e-bike spree, or the four-precinct pattern to one another or to the Walton Street robbery.
Jewelry Thefts Have Hit Multiple Neighborhoods
Bronx jewelry robberies have taken different forms in recent months. In Fordham Heights, a suspect displayed a knife, attempted to steal two women's necklaces and made off with one valued at approximately $2,000 before fleeing on a blue moped, according to the Norwood News on May 31. Days later, in Norwood, a suspect displayed a knife and stole a necklace worth around $2,000, while a third incident the same day involved a necklace valued at roughly $4,500 that was snatched directly from a victim.
Other recent cases have involved different tactics entirely. Near Gun Hill Road, four masked individuals on motorcycles allegedly tore a purse from a woman, making off with a debit card and about $100 in cash, per the same Hoodline reporting on the four-precinct pattern. And ABC7 reported that three suspects were linked to 26 chain-snatching robberies across the Bronx and Manhattan between June 29 and Aug. 28, according to that Hoodline account.
Robberies Trending Upward Borough-Wide
The uptick in jewelry-theft cases comes as overall robbery numbers in the Bronx have climbed. The borough recorded 452 reported robberies during a recent 28-day comparison period, up 14% from 389 during the same period a year earlier, Hoodline has reported. The NYPD publishes crime statistics by borough and precinct, updating the figures weekly.
No arrests have been announced in the Walton Street robbery, and police have not said whether the case is linked to any of the Bronx's other ongoing jewelry-theft investigations. Anyone with information about the man robbed near East 168th Street and Walton Street is asked to contact authorities.
