An 89-year-old woman and a 70-year-old man were zip-tied by their hands and feet inside their own Bedford Park home Tuesday morning after three people forced their way inside and ransacked their belongings. One of the men took a cellphone, cash and credit cards; the trio then zip-tied the couple before fleeing.
According to News12, police say a woman and two men forcibly entered the residence near Bainbridge Avenue and East 199th Street, where the elderly pair lived. Investigators told the outlet the robbery happened just after 11 a.m. Tuesday. One of the men displayed a firearm during the encounter, the station reported. One man grabbed the couple's phone, cash and credit cards, then the group zip-tied the victims' hands and feet before fleeing.
Suspects Posed in Delivery Gear
Two of the three suspects wore Amazon vests, per the same News12 report, while the third wore a black hooded sweatshirt. Police have since released images of all three suspects and are asking anyone with information to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
No further details on the suspects' identities, ages or the current status of the investigation have been made public. It is also not established whether the amount of cash taken or any medical treatment the victims may have needed has been disclosed by investigators.
A Troubling Pattern of Bound Victims
Tuesday's robbery adds to a string of recent Bronx home invasions in which intruders have restrained their victims before stealing valuables, though the evidence does not establish any link between these cases and the Bedford Park incident. In a separate Highbridge home invasion, a 39-year-old woman was assaulted and bound with duct tape before being robbed of roughly $343,000 in jewelry and other valuables, according to Gothamist. Police said three suspects armed with knives and a gun forced their way into a residence near West 168th Street and Ogden Avenue around 10:15 p.m. that Thursday.
Another Bedford Park case described two men posing as UPS delivery workers who tied up two women and a 64-year-old man before stabbing a 27-year-old man in the thigh and restraining him too, ABC7 reported. In yet another Bronx apartment robbery, suspects tied up a 46-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman and made off with jewelry, handbags and cash, though police told PIX11 no injuries were reported in that case.
Elderly Victims Targeted Before
Older Bronx residents in particular have been targeted in similar schemes. In a Jan. 19, 2025 incident, two men posing as delivery workers forced their way into an 88-year-old man's apartment, struck him in the head with a gun, tied him up and stole a cellphone, cash and a wallet, according to the Bronx Times.
It remains unclear whether a separate Gun Hill Road attack or a chain-snatching case previously reported are connected to any broader pattern, and that uncertainty extends to Tuesday's Bedford Park case as well — investigators have not said whether it ties into any wider series of break-ins.
For now, police are focused on identifying the three suspects, and anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
