A 22-year-old man was walking near Essex Street and Pitkin Avenue in the early hours of October 21 when three strangers approached him, pepper-sprayed him, and beat him before scattering into the night. Weeks later, NYPD Crime Stoppers is still hunting for the attackers and is dangling a cash reward to crack the case.
According to NYPD Crime Stoppers
, the victim was approached by three unidentified individuals at approximately 1:40 a.m. in the confines of the 75th Precinct. One of them used pepper spray on him while the other two punched and kicked him in the face and body, the notice states. All three then fled on foot to parts unknown, leaving investigators with few leads so far.
NYPD Crime Stoppers published the appeal for information on Tuesday. Anyone with information is asked to call the English-language tip line at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), the Spanish-language line at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), submit a tip at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or reach out on X via @NYPDTips.
A Precinct With a Mixed Recent Record
The attack adds to a string of violent incidents reported in and around the 75th Precinct this fall. In early October, a 58-year-old woman was punched, kicked and robbed in broad daylight near Sutter Avenue and Hinsdale Street in East New York by three suspects who fled, according to Hoodline. That same report noted the precinct had logged 318 robberies year to date as of October 4, a 17.2 percent drop from the 384 recorded over the same span in 2025, part of a citywide pattern that saw major crime fall 6.6 percent and robberies decline 12.2 percent compared with last year.
Pitkin Avenue itself has seen other trouble this fall. The same precinct area was also the scene of a robbery at a commercial establishment at 130 New Lots Avenue on September 14, when a suspect made off with merchandise and maced a man who tried to intervene, the outlet reported. A week later, an unidentified man took a hair product from NY Star Beauty Supply at 1603 Pitkin Avenue and fled after simulating that he had a firearm, though Hoodline noted that nothing in the available evidence ties the two incidents together as a connected series.
Pepper Spray Attacks Not Isolated to Brooklyn
Assaults involving pepper spray have surfaced elsewhere in the city as well. In Harlem, NYPD sought two suspects after one pepper-sprayed a 47-year-old man while the other pulled out a sharp object and slashed him, amNY reported. That attack happened at 7:58 p.m. on May 31 outside the Harlem Center at 125 West 125th Street.
No arrests have been announced in the October 21 Pitkin Avenue assault, and investigators have not released descriptions of the three suspects. Anyone with information is urged to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers through the channels listed above; all calls are kept confidential.
