A 68-year-old man was struck in the mouth with a rock during a dispute inside a commercial establishment at 700 Exterior Street in the Bronx on Sept. 27, leaving him in pain and swollen, according to police. The suspect fled on foot and has not been identified. NYPD Crime Stoppers is now offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of a violent felon.
According to NYPD Crime Stoppers
, the confrontation began around 2 p.m. that Sunday when the 68-year-old victim got into a verbal dispute with an unidentified male inside the business, located within the confines of the 44th Precinct. The disagreement escalated when the man allegedly threw a rock at the victim, striking him in the mouth and causing pain and swelling, police said. EMS transported the victim to NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, where he was listed in stable condition.
The suspect fled the scene on foot to parts unknown, and no description of his appearance or clothing has been released. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers via DM at @NYPDTips or by calling 1-800-577-TIPS.
Reward Offered for Tips Leading to an Arrest
The Crime Stoppers Program offers rewards of up to $3,500 for anonymous tips that lead to the arrest and indictment of a violent felon, according to NYC.gov. The incident took place in the 44th Precinct, which covers 1.97 square miles of the southwest Bronx, per the same city agency.
No arrest or case-status update had been announced as of Tuesday, and investigators have not released a physical description of the suspect.
Part of a Wider Pattern of Bronx Assaults on Older Residents
This is the second reported assault on an older Bronx resident in recent weeks. On Sept. 15, a 72-year-old man was punched in the face by a stranger outside a pharmacy at 1320 Metropolitan Avenue in Parkchester, leaving him with cut knees and facial swelling, as Hoodline previously reported. Parkchester is a dense, 0.33-square-mile planned residential development with 33,602 residents as of the 2020 Census, according to the same report.
Citywide, felony assault complaints have ticked upward even as some other major crime categories have fallen. The NYPD recorded 14,802 felony assault complaints in the first half of 2026, up 0.4% from the same period a year earlier, according to Vital City. That works out to roughly 82 felony assaults recorded somewhere in the city every 24 hours during that stretch, the outlet reported, with felony assault levels running 48% above prepandemic figures.
The Bronx has long carried the city's highest violent-crime rate, though felony assault there barely moved in the first half of the year, falling by less than 1%, per the same Vital City analysis. Not every Bronx precinct has seen crime hold steady, though — the 43rd Precinct, for instance, recorded 368 fewer major-crime complaints at midyear 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, the largest drop among Bronx precincts, the Hoodline report noted.
Investigators have not said whether the Sept. 27 incident at 700 Exterior Street is connected to any other recent assaults in the borough. Anyone with information about the suspect's identity or whereabouts is urged to come forward so detectives can pursue the case.
