There have been some disturbing reports in the past few days about crimes in Central and Riverside Parks.
Bicyclists have been attacked twice in Riverside Park in the past couple of weeks by thugs wielding ropes, bats and brass knuckles. The attacks happened along the Hudson above 160th street, according to reports from CBS and the Daily News (the exact location of the second attack is not entirely clear). One attack occurred on August 24, and the other last Thursday. The Daily News reported:
“In the first caper, on Aug. 24, the thieves set a trap. They ran a rope across a bike path near Riverside Drive and W. 177th St. at about 11:15 p.m. As a 40-year-old bicyclist from New Jersey rolled by, they pulled the line tight, knocking the man off his wheels.
The muggers then pounced on the downed pedaler, punching him in the face and taking his $1,500 Cannondale bike. They also stole his iPhone and $500 in cash, police said. The victim was not seriously injured.”
The second attack was similarly violent, says CBS: “On Thursday, another man was knocked off his bike with a bat – and then beaten and mugged in the same area.” Police have reportedly added patrols in the park.
In another strange incident, a woman was attacked on 102nd street in Central Park on Monday, DNAinfo and A Walk in the Park reported. DNAinfo says it happened on East Drive, while A Walk in the Park says it was on West Drive. DNAinfo reported:
“The 30-year-old victim was walking alone along the park’s East Drive near East 102nd Street about 9:30 p.m. when a man wearing a red flannel shirt, black shorts and white sneakers came up from behind and grabbed her, sources said. The man then tried to rip off the woman’s blouse and bit her on her left arm, the sources said.”
If you know anything about these crimes, call 1-800-577-TIPS.
Not to belittle the crime, but who bikes with $500 in cash?
a man with insurance
As a frequent walker and some time cyclist, I suggest to the city that more frequent police beat be assigned along the pathways. I agree that there has been more frequent violent
acts and attacks….Also I would call on people who witness theme so not be silent observers; instead, we should be actively engage ourselves in helpfulness and also report acts of violence and crimes to the police.
Crime sucks. No doubt. Being vulnerable sucks.
This is a big city, with millions of people. We the people, need to take some self responsibility and not make ourselves vulnerable, nor expect that there will always be a police office around every corner, or tree, in this case, to protect us. It is common sense to avoid parks at night, especially if alone. The Bloomberg era has not turned this city into a crime free utopia, as the behaviour of many seems to exhibit.
Travel safe, and smart.
When there is a parade we see so many cops, but on a regular day we see almost none. Where do the cops hide? we need a lot more on patrol.
Not only do cops need to be more visible, but we need them to use a variety of transportation methods in addition to squad cars. For instance, if they biked up and down the river, then things like this would not happen. Sitting in squad cars prevents them from having as close knowledge of what’s going on as they otherwise could.