Police are looking for information in a savage beating reported late last week in Riverside Park. Our tipster sent in the photo above of a poster in Riverside Park around 68th street and explained what she had seen in the narrative below.
An NYPD spokesman told us that the crime occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday night, in Riverside Park around 68th street. The 21-year-old male vitcim “had his head covered with a bag and struck with unknown object.” His iPhone and laptop were taken.
The spokesman did not know whether he knew his assailants, but given the information in the poster it doesn’t sound like he did.
Update: An officer at the 20th precinct tells us that the victim did not know the assailants. It appears to have been a random attack. “It was just young guys walking through the park.” Police were canvassing the area Monday to see if the perpetrators may have been caught on camera.
Here is the narrative from our tipster:
“Out walking my dog on Friday morning at about 7am in Riverside Park, I saw a man, who appeared to be homeless, perched on a rock in the Hudson River, gripping the river wall near the Kayak dock at the equivalent of W. 72. The man DID NOT call out for help. His face was bloodied, his hands scraped raw and he was visibly shaking and seemed quite disoriented.. I called this in to 911 and first responders removed him and took him away by ambulance.
At 2pm, I took my cocker spaniel for her second walk and revisited the site where the man was rescued. I continued southward and at the equivalent of W. 68 street in Riverside Park South the pier where the yoga classes are held in the summer was cordoned off w/ NYPD crime scene tape and an officer was standing guard. In speaking w/ her, she explained that a young man had been mugged there the night before and brutally beaten. (It was a bloody crime scene) When I told her about the I was the person who phoned in the homeless man in the river, she explained that he too was probably a victim of the same thugs. Long story short: I spoke w/ Detectives who informed me both men (homeless guy was in okay shape, the other young man had a serious head injury) were victimized at about 11 pm on Thursday night with the homeless guy being thrown over the railing and the young man beaten about the head. Saturday morning, this sign was up at the W. 68th street site. Pretty scary.”
We’ll update this if we learn more.
It’s really swell having the projects so close by.
Your incorrect “Observation’ of the projects near by appear somewhat a classic example of the definition of “Stereotypes.” It is just as close as the Alfred at Lincoln Center.
Yes, Lincoln Center was entirely projects before it was turned into the beacon of cultural importance it is today. But, really?? Way to make some judgements.
Before Lincoln Center was built in the 1960s, as part of an extensive urban-renewal project, the area was mostly brownstone, tenement and warehouse buildings. (It was not “projects.”) The area had a reputation as a “high-crime” area (which ostensibly is why it was selected by Robert Moses etc for urban renewal.)
This area was the setting for the musical West Side Story.
The NYCHA Amsterdam Houses (61st-64th Street)were built in the late 1940s, with a later addition. NYCHA buildings in general were initially built for working (“blue collar”)families.
Exactly. See the movie version of “A Thousand Clowns.” It’s where Lincoln Towers (and Center) is today. Gives more street views than “West Side Story,” if you know what to look for.
What a close-minded statement. (And an incorrect one, too. 73rd and RSD (or Riverside Park) is nowhere near the Amsterdam houses.
I bet it’s a wild gang of hooligans from Trump Land, I tell ya. Or a group of still-unemployed finance guys from Bear Stearns.
De Blasio would want to have a beer with these thugs, too. Not only marauding bikers are fun to have a beer with, right?
This is all very tragic and scary, but I simply don’t get why it has anything to do the our new mayor. Do you think that Bloomberg had some magic beam sent out over the City to stop crime and that DeBlasio is lacking this crime-stopping beam? Do you think that neighborhood policing strategies have changed that dramatically in 10 months?
Yes, but even more unforgiving is how he emboldened criminals by lashing out at the NYPD during his campaign. A Mayor’s first responsibility is to protect his city’s residents. But di Blasio has always been more interested in apologizing for the tactics of our police than actually taking a stand to reduce crime.
Unfortunately, this is why I cross the street when a group of black men walk towards me. I’d much rather be alive and racist, than politically correct and dead.
You should tell everyone at your job about how you feel about black people. I bet that’ll go over well!
But really though, you are a closed-minded idiot and I hope my children don’t end up like you.
Jared, when you find yourself admitting that you’re a racist, you should probably take a long look in the mirror. Seriously, you’re a disgrace to the Upper West Side and I hope you move away.
2nd Amendment, baby. Don’t live in fear. Don’t cross the street in your own neighborhood. This is our city. Not the thugs’ hunting ground.
thank you Jeff!! there are so many truly over-the-top comments on this thread. and that is being kind.
What I see is a great deal of self-righteous, moral preening (an apparent hallmark of your comments).
Thank you for posting the precinct stats. Would be nice to have them posted regularly by the WSR, regardless of how things are going.
My point was not that I “am” racist. It was that I’m “not” actually racist, but the ultra-liberals on the UWS would consider me one for simply trying to keep myself safe in my own neighborhood. And sorry Jeff, but I actually own my apartment. So I won’t be moving anytime soon(despite the vast amount of unsolicited all-cash offers I get every week).
Jesse Jackson famously said the same thing re fearing black men walking near him.
It does feel like crime is up, at least on the UWS, since the new mayor has been in office. Most recently, there’s been a number of break-ins and burglaries on Columbus Avenue, and now this. Hopefully, it is not a trend that will continue.
actual trends (facts, not “feelings”):
Murder, rape, robbery, felonious assault, and grand larceny DOWN over last year in 20th Precinct.
burglary and Grand Larceny Auto up a little.
total major crimes DOWN almost 5% over last year in 20th precinct.
https://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs020pct.pdf
Bruce;
When somebody’s broken into a store right in the building where you and your family live, not once but twice in a matter of weeks, you bet I’m going to be fearful, and I have every right to be vocal about it.
Albert, you indeed have every right to be concerned if there is a wave of break-ins in your building or block. I suggest going to the Precinct Community Council… not sure if you’re in 20th or 24th Precinct. my experience is they are very responsive in that forum.
where you DON’T have a right is to blame it on De Blasio, or to state that crime on the Upper West Side or NYC is UP since he’s come in. It is not; rather, it is down. obviously some people on this thread are trying to score political points and use individual instances to launch a vendetta against the Mayor and even against rank and file liberals. I’m sure that is not your intent.
but the fact remains that crime is down under Mayor De Blasio. And he and Bratton deserve credit for it.
Let’s see in a year where we are in crime…Certainly, I do not think that the mayor is putting NYers at ease by protecting a staffer who has lied about her affiliation with a person who clearly shows his disdain for law enforcement. I don’t care if that person is black, blue or yellow, it is just not the right thing to do. It is arrogant, irresponsible and unbecoming of a good leader. Insofar as the statistics are concerned, it is no different than the economic report: it’s a lagging indicator that doesn’t mean much in the here and now.
Thanks for posting. The mayor should be held responsible if crime does indeed rise. But blaming him for EVERY crime is silly. Guess what? There was crime under Bloomberg and Giuliani too.
THANK YOU, Bruce, for speaking truth and daring to defy latent racism!
To blame the mayor for the actions of a gang of hooligans who PROBABLY COULDN’T TELL YOU WHO WAS MAYOR AND PROBABLY HAVEN’T READ A NEWSPAPER IN YEARS is ridiculous!
Sad fact is that there will always be bad guys in an urban environment (more targets of opportunity than in suburbia). So maybe it’s a good idea to avoid deserted places like Riverside Park after midnight?
As any cop will tell you: if you make yourself look like a victim you WILL BECOME a victim!
How is slamming de Blasio, even erroneously, “latent racism”? Explain, please. And also how you detect thoughts that are “latent”.
wow – the comments here remind me of Christie overreacting to the Ebola nurse, with little to no actual factual info. Just fear. These commenters probably don’t get why people are upset about the “poor door” issue in that nabe either. Random crime always existed by the river at night, and will not magically vanish now that Trump has built his magic semi-walled castle. And people want to blame DeBlasio for this? Wow.
thank you Adami… and someone actually BOASTING about being a racist? wow.
and of course we don’t know if the VICTIMS were black, white, or other.
crime in fact is DOWN in almost all categories in the 20th precint this year. the West Side Spirit publishes the #s every week.
and your comment Adami reminds me of the out of touch, “crime is a fact of New York life” attitude I grew up with in the 70s and 80s. The one that our last two Mayors proved wrong.
Not sure the connection to poor door – but most people are not upset – including the recipients – of getting brand new subsidized apartments at the expense of everyone else. But that is not enough is it…
Wow Melissa that comment. Was ridiculous. You are so close minded. As if folks in projects are more likely to attack, wrong!! Anyway it just was negative and so unwarranted.
I propose a march to protest the racist attitudes toward these crimes. How about around midnight in Riverside Park? Are you in, or are you a liberal hypocrit?
Hypocrit…e. Hypocrite. Nice try tough!
“though” Not tough.
First of all, it’s spelled *closed-minded”. With a D. Not close-minded. Funny how the liberals have a hard time spelling, or knowing how words work.
Second, I guarantee these 4 black men come from housing that taxpayers are paying for. Projects. Just watch. It’s not racism, it’s a fact.
Yes, bad spelling is a liberal thing. Oh, wait: https://politicalhumor.about.com/library/bl-tea-party-signs.htm
I told you guys the parks were getting more dangerous, but noooo
The “but noooo” part of your comment is correct.
Statistics prove you wrong.
What a horrible crime, I hope they catch the perps soon. There probably isn’t enough camera coverage in that area to be of any help. I hope cell phone manufacturers hurry up with a real kill switch to render these stolen phones to be rendered useless.
I’m glad you’re out there hoping. Hope really is a good plan.
Hey, it got a President elected and re-elected!
Hope got a president elected? Are you nuts? The hope was for very liberal change, not for the election by itself!
Walking alone in any city along a secluded area late at night is not wise. The power of two’s is a huge deterrent. These thugs will be apprehended in due time. Would love to see somebody whip out a stun gun and taser these punks!
You mean without Miranda, free lawyer, bail, jury trial, or plea bargain down to harrassment? Do you bellieve in constitutional rights of not?
Weren’t the Amsterdam houses originally built for veterans? Maybe it’s time to return these projects for the purpose for which they were originally built. We can make room for this deserving population by evicting the residents who have been adjudged guilty of a crime. This would have the unrelated benefit of making the projects a safer place for the hardworking families already there.
I moved to New York in the 1980s and knew well enough not to go into the parks at night alone. I still follow that edict but I’ve read that younger/other folks feel the parks (Central and Riverside included) are OK in the dark. I don’t know why that is the new mindset. Like someone else wrote, one should not make oneself a target.
I blame my physique (or lack thereof) on a bubbe who would always yell, “Don’t go jogging in the park! Stay out of the park!”
so Steve, you are blaming the victim?
Yes those crazy kids who moved to New York in the uaghts have the nerve to feel save at all times and everywhere. How stupid! What were they thinking?
How is it comforting to the victim of a crime to have one of de Blasio’s supporters walk in with a stat sheet and point out that crime is down? Tell that to the woman who was sexually assaulted or the small business owner whose store was broken into or this 21 year old kid (black or white) who had his head bashed in. You get rid of Stop and Frisk and you’re going to have a bull’s eye on your back (fairly or unfairly). So let’s give the NYPD the tools they need to do their job, to catch these thugs and reassure the tax paying public that their neighborhoods are not turning in ghettos.
Hey, then you guys must be thrilled at the decision of the Mayor to have the police stop arresting people for minor amounts of marijuana. All those scary people smoking in front of your children, making the place “ghetto”.
Well said KG. Those who run around waving stat sheets will go to great lengths to deny there’s a problem of any scope. And in the rare instances that they do acknowledge a crime, they would rather blame the victims than the criminals.
This is so awful – my heart goes out to both the victims. I tend to forget how vulnerable our homeless can be. It sounds like the suspects assaulted two people with an unknown object – a rock? a laptop? baseball bat? Just my view, I hope they catch these guys but I don’t get how stop-n-frisk (harassing everybody of color) would help prevent this.
Because DMH – stop and frisk was not about “harassing everybody of color” – it never was about that.
The police have to have cause to stop and frisk – i.e. they witness something wrong, they act on tip and description, or an APB with description.
Now, the sad truth of New York is that while most young men of color are not criminals , most crimes are committed by young men of color. This is a key important distinction. So yes very often the suspects are going to be that description. I wish it was not true…
Now does that give the police the right to harass all young men of color ? NO. and when they do stop and frisk they should explain it and be of extremely respectful. and guess what it works and saves lives (particularly other young men of color).
However, instead of fixing this effective tool it got hijacked by the politicos, city council and mayoral hopefuls who pander to the uninformed.
BTW, I have asked and not one black person I know has every been stopped and frisked.. so I do believe it was completely overblown. In my opinion…
and yes, now the criminal element is beholden as they know the cops will do nothing to prevent a crime at the risk of being accused of wrongdoing.
I’ve never been stopped and frisked myself, but open to learning more about it if you would suggest a good source. It raises a lot of questions in my mind about violating the bill of rights (the right to be free of unreasonable search and seizure). But at the same time, there’s room for good smart detective work and policing.
Easy enough to get a gun folks.
De Blasio won’t help you, so help yourself.
Where is Mayor Giuliani when you need him?
I agree that going into the parks alone at night is just dangerous at any point regardless of mayor (though not asking for it). However, I have to say that even during the day I feel a little uneasy on the new walkway in Riverside south of 70th. It is often not populated, and you are not visible to anyone in parts. I enter at the southern end and walk to 70th, and I find myself not feeling comfortable on quieter days and often speeding up. It’s nicely done but isolated.
Wow! This has been my ‘late night’walking route since Fall of ’95 (68th-70th start-then walk North).I see that 1 heavy set homeless guy sitting on a bench by 73rd St. all the time -since ’09! We both leave the Park just before 1am (closing time,NYPD will chase you out otherwise)up the ramp at the 72nd St.exit.By the Grace of God,nothing has ever happened to me over there in 19 yrs.
I’ve been wondering if it was that same guy. I haven’t seen him on “his bench” since this story emerged, and I’m concerned about him. His presence on that bench is always reassuring to me.
Did the bike path section under the Henry Hudson Parkway ever get its lights? I seem to recall that had dragged on for years, and I saw a patrol car coming out from there on Friday afternoon.
I hope that the perpetrators are caught and lose their NYCHA apartments if indeed that is where they live.
There should also be more video cameras and police patrols in the parks to help deter attacks such as this.
Here’s an idea for justice: if they live in public housing, then the homeless man who they attacked should get their apartment. I know it will never happen, but it is nice to daydream.
Uh..wait..where is the footage?
Oh right..we don’t have cameras in the parks?
Why the hell not?
Good point. A bunch of high-definition (not those grainy videos that we see so often) would be both cheap and effective. With the taxes we pay to live in NYC, one would think that they would have done this already.
I was a victim of a similar attack on 11/2/14. It should be mentioned that these two attacks are along a well-used bicycle path. I mention this because the incident took place a short bike ride uptown from where the two 11/7/14 attacks occurred. On November 2nd at 8:50pm I saw Three males emerge on bicycles from the pathway to the bike/jogging path at approximately 100th street. The three men were heading uptown. I was simply walking uptown and saw the men riding together at a slow pace. The bicycles passed me and the three men sat down on a bench at around 101st st. I continued on my route up to the upper path of the park. I was dressed in all black and had no phone or other property showing. Once I have walked up beyond 110th st. I hear some noise from the main path down below. I look back and see the same three men on bicycles. They do not yet see me, but the park was dark and I immediately prepared for interaction, if necessary. At 112th/113th, there is a rather flat staircase leading to the upper path from the main pathway. As I passed the steps, I saw the three men get off their bikes and begin to walk up the steps. There is absolutely no reason a person would ever walk a bicycle up these steps because at 116th, the main path curves up around to allow access to the upper path. I assumed these three men were going to do something stupid. I was correct. I continue walking calmly and once I reached the lamp, I paused to step aside to allow these three men with bikes to pass me. I then heard one of the men say something. He repeated it. He demanded my phone. I replied, “No, you must be kidding.” He repeated himself and said I must be crazy. I repeated myself and stood to the three men, looked into the eyes of the man demanding property and told him he was crazy for demanding my property. We went back and forth twice more with verbal exchanges until the man reached into his jacket/hoodie to grab a weapon. I planned for this possibility and turned to sprint, then stutterstep to allow the three men closing in on me to use their own weight against them. As this happened, the men all tried to manhandle me, but I swept their legs out from under them and the three of them smashed to the ground. The path was very muddy from rain on Halloween and probably cushioned their fall. I fell on top of them. At that point, i subdue two of the three attackers and the third attacker tries to kick and stomp my face in. I call for help. I grab his leg before he has more than a few chances and end up tearing his jeans apart. He is annoyed by this and says, “what are you, gay!?” I replied “No, but you are a ——- idiot. You do understand that you are attempting to remove personal property from me, property that will ultimately be wiped and unusable, or lead to your arrest and prosecution. I suggested you guys move beyond me.” This spot is in plain sight for anyone who lives up by Columbia University. The top part of the park directly on Riverside Drive is ALWAYS frequented by people, many end up sitting on the wall overlooking the spot I was attacked. By this point, my goal is to subdue the attackers long enough for someone to do something. Nobody does anything. Not one call to police. Not one person yelling at us. This incident could be on YouTube for all I know. We continued wrestling around for about 3 minutes when my phone falls out from my front right pocket. The perpetrator I have subdued on that side of my body is covered in mud, bruised, angry, and now sees my detached headphones coming from my front pocket. He has yet to see the phone. He yanks at the headphones and is disappointed to find nothing attached. He then sees the phone. I see the phone. We both dive towards it. He is much closer than I am. He grabs it and starts running as fast as he can back to his bike. The other two attackers were essentially pinned down until this point and were covered in mud and ripped clothing. When the attacker with my phone gets up, I release the other two men and charge after the man with my phone. The other two men catch up to their partner and I repeatedly stomp on one of their bike wheels. These guys are confused as all hell. I am screaming at them to give me my phone and laughing at them. All they can say is, “ARE YOU CRAZY!?” After stomping enough to damage the bike, I am finally confronted by one of them with a punch. I shake my head and laugh as it did no damage. What it did do is give them the time to easily flee. I am so angry, I am screaming at them telling them to get back up here because they can’t do anything to me. Once they fade I just scream out F-CK! I leave the park. Call the police once I am at my house. File a report with the 26th precinct. Provide exactly the same story as stated above to the dispatcher and then to the officers. Amazingly I was not bleeding. I was uninjured–spare a slight bruise that developed two days later around my left eye. All my clothing is intact. Once the officers picked me up at my home and we went into detail, I then gave a description of each person, clothes too. I mentioned the assailants fled uptown. My sense was they fled to central or east Harlem. If they were going back downtown, they would have returned to the bike path at 100th and taken it to 79th or 70th street, then exited. I believe this incident is connected. I have yet to see images of the three men arrested for the two crimes reported above. They were all fairly clean cut young men between 18 and 24. None of them appeared disheveled etc. until I dropped them to the ground and tore their clothing. The three men arrested are all between 18 and 24. They all live in central/east Harlem. The force they attempted to use on me, and the force successfully employed on the two victims from November 7th are very similar. I am hopeful the three arrested men are those who confronted me and got away with my phone. If these are different individuals, there is a larger problem than just one group roaming the park. These men brutally attacked two people in close proximity on a major bicycle route and got away with a significant amount of property. I do not know if the November 7th attack suspects had bicycles, but I strongly suspect it. They are miles away from where they live, but have easy access back home due to the bike path. If they get scuffed up during an attack, they are not seen to be disheveled or ‘off’ because they are riding a bike at night. All in all, what I am most angry about–THE FACT THAT FOR THE APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES DURING WHICH I WAS ATTACKED, NOT ONE PERSON DID ANYTHING…assuming someone saw. I have to assume someone saw this. There are three or more security patrols up on 113th st , not to mention the damn police, that could have easily been alerted. I walk there every single day. I went back to the spot the day after my phone was taken. I continue to walk that route. There are always, ALWAYS people right on the edge of the wall and looking into the park. There are always people out and about. I have never been there and not seen other people walking along Riverside Drive. IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. Oh well, hopefully it is the same men. Sorry for the large block paragraph. It is worth the read.