By Gus Saltonstall
Vandals smashed the windows of more than 10 cars parked along a stretch of Riverside Drive from around West 96th to 104th streets this weekend, according to a police spokesperson and multiple eyewitnesses.
The cars were damaged sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, according to an NYPD spokesperson. While the spokesperson said “at least 10 vehicles” were damaged, one person who contacted the Rag said she counted 19 cars ‘broken into” along the nine-block stretch of Riverside Drive.
“All of them had [their] passenger side window smashed and it looked like they were riffling through the glove compartment boxes and columns,” Madeleine Fritz wrote in an email to WSR. “It seemed like a luck of the draw type of situation,” said Fritz, who photographed some of the damaged cars.
Two other people wrote to the Rag with similar descriptions of damage to cars in the same area; one of the writers described “passenger side windows smashed and glove boxes rifled.”
The NYPD spokesperson said an investigation is underway, but as of Sunday night it was not clear whether items were taken out of the cars.
We will reach back to NYPD later on Monday to see if there is any update in the case.
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Everyone in the area knows not to park overnight on Riverside Drive. Though this is a lot of cars for one incident, it’s not uncommon for two or three cars to be hit on a given night. This has been true for decades. (And, yes, it WAS worse in the 70s and 80s.)
One thing to note: it’s not vandalism. It’s theft.
We parked on that stretch for about 10 years from about 2008-2018 and never had an issue or knew of any car that had an issue. The city has reverted to where it was in the 80s. Just saying.
“everyone knows” ….
Please share all the statistics you have been keeping or that is in a public law enforcement data base when you can. Or just say – “this is my opinion…..”
Don’t need regression analysis to realize crimes of opportunity like ‘edges’ and easy access to quick departure.
Every native Upper Westside New Yorker knows, it’s facts
The whole “don’t park on Riverside” thing….yes I know that too, but sometimes after driving around for over an hour looking for parking people get desperate. I feel for the folks who happened upon this for their Monday morning.
What an unhinged thing to say “everyone knows not to park overnight on Riverside Drive”?? And why would that be? Why do people “know” that they should not park in a convenient area with free city parking? Where are our taxes going if not to safe streets? In a high trust society things like this happen rarely if ever, unfortunately that is not the society this city has chosen for themselves.
Street smarts and common sense sis, I don’t want a heart attack, I limit my LDL cholesterol. I want windows on my car in the morning, I don’t park on Riverside.
Apologists for horrible city governance. Instead of demanding more from the taxes being paid for the privilege of living in the city, people are making excuses on behalf of the vandals.
Please, same thing happens in the suburbs. Petty burglaries are usually teenagers and/or drug addicts.
Show a little more resilience, you’re a New Yorker after all, aren’t you?
You’re being much too practical and realistic. Most people live in a world of denial and magical thinking.
I’m with you…and in 72 years I’ve never had a mishap.
“Everyone in the area knows not to park overnight on Riverside Drive.”
If everyone knows, then the police do too. Do the people on Riverside not pay taxes? How come the people on Riverside don’t deserve protection?
>“Everyone in the area knows not to park overnight on Riverside Drive.” I didn’t Michael, despite living within 2 blocks since the 80s.
They certainly do. But as crazy as it sounds, the police have no legal obligation to provide that protection. This has been affirmed in multiple courts across the country, including the Supreme Court.
https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/do-the-police-have-an-obligation-to-protect-you/
I couldn’t care less about the 70’s and 80’s and I’m sick of comments that it was “much worse” back then. Even if true – who cares? Are we now supposed to be happy this garbage is happening on a slightly lesser scale? We pay exorbitant taxes to keep our streets safe and that means arresting and prosecuting the criminals who are doing this. That means police patrols at night. That means a DA who will seek jail time. That means “leadership” who won’t ignore these critical quality of life issues. Or maybe you loved the 70’s and 80’s and can’t wait until we’re all the way back there? What a sad state of affairs. Wake up.
I think the point people make with this argument is that 1) New York has become much more liberal since the 1970s 2) Crime has not been eliminated to zero but it has been drastically reduced 3) the people arguing that we need to go back to the policies that we had when we had a higher crime rate should have to have a better argument than “it feels like harsher punishment should work”. It might seem that way, but the evidence and the numbers show that liberal crime management policies of 2020s work better than the conservative policies of Giuliani in the 1990s.
No one wants to deal with crime or to be a victim. But what we’re seeing now is not “slightly less” that what we were seeing when crime as at it’s peak in the late 70s and early 80s. All categories of crime are well under half of what they were back then.
All the UWS politicians are endorsing Bragg to be reelected as DA.
That’s because they’re afraid of being called “racist” if they don’t support him. Such is the mindset of the Left.
I think the point is in the 70s and 80s we didn’t act so shocked— AND we took way more measures to stay safe. Some personal responsibility would go farther than supposed surprise if you park on Riverside or walk at night in the park. We just didn’t DO that back then. But I guess each generation has to learn the hard way. It’d be great if you didn’t have to.
Those are the life lessons we learn. Younger people have to learn for themselves. As a child, I never took candy from strangers offering to give me ride…responsible parenting advice regarding personal responsibility.
Your argument is absurd. You are blaming the victims by claiming they should show more “personal responsibility” for having their car windows smashed in?
The world is indeed upside down!
BTW — I was here is the 70s and 80s. Yes, it was a tough neighborhood but that doesn’t take away the fact that this is wrong. So , secondly, don’t go and blame a younger generation.
Joe, you read my mind.
Remember the NO RADIO signs?
I prefer No Soap Radio…
Yes I do.
I had a CD player in car with removable face plate.
Before that there was the slide that the radio went on and you would take whole radio,
If that is the measure, (70’s 80’s ) then a new meaure is needed.
City taxes are paid to keep the streets safe. This comment is a bit like saying if you get mugged walking through the park after sunset, it’s your fault.
True. And yes it IS like saying walking in the park after dark and parking on Riverside are actually both stupid. So if you want to avoid crime, don’t do it. Like if you want to avoid emphysema, don’t smoke. Not exactly like victim blaming. Just take responsibility for staying safe /healthy by doing what you can to avoid obvious risks.
What about having more deterrence in place so that law abiding citizens can life freely and not worry about getting mugged in the park or have their cars broken into?
Where are the cops? Where are the cameras? Where are the arrests? And having all the street lights out is not hepling.
Taxes are not high enough to have cops and cameras covering every square inch of the city.
Culture eats law for breakfast. I wouldn’t not characterize NYC’s culture as pro-cop.
Really? May be spend less on Medicaid & welfare? May be spend more efficiently? NYC spends $80K to educate my two kids at PS 9, yet only $20K makes it to the school, the rest goes where?
From your lips to God’s ears, but ultimately it’s going to take a lot of time to offset the culture we’ve created since 2020.
I try to not park on Riverside if at all possible. Someone once stole my airbag from there.
Last week, I saw at least 5 cars with smashed passenger windows next to Morningside Park on Morningside Ave, 118-122
Just picture it
???
Vote better.
Maybe it’s time to put cameras along Riverside drive.
Man. I remember this as a kid in the 90s. By the late 90s, it was very rare. This is a sad blast from the past
A few years ago my catalytic converter was stolen when I parked on Riverside and 111th overnight. Never did it again. As far as the 80s, I lived in Washington Heights and people actually left their cars unlocked with signs “No radio, nothing in car” to avoid having windows smashed. The good old days!
and the smarter people left their cars unlocked.
Get rid of free parking on the street. Streets are for driving. Garages are for parking.
Are you kidding? Garage is in this neighborhood are over $700 a month. There’s only a certain segment of the population that can afford that. Our taxes are enormous. We should be afforded some feeling of safety.
That’s a whacko comment! Rich people can pay for garages. The rest of us middle class folks have to park in the street. And of course, we drive!!
If you are paying to maintain a car in Manhattan (lease/loan, gas, insurance, maintenance) you should also pay for a garage or at least a neighborhood parking permit.
YES! i don’t want the cops concentrating on protecting your car. i want them doing anything but that. who cares about your car that you only move for 2 minutes so the sweeper can get by. hopefully someone takes it – free up a spot
We all know some of the anti-car folks drive cars and live in $10,000 a month rental apartments and garage their cars. It is all projection.
I’m most shocked that people are shocked. We just had a multi-year Hate on police. They didn’t forget it.
For a bunch of tough guys they sure have thin skin
you’re welcome to enlist
I’m secure with myself and my profession, unlike the forementioned group of flamingos
You forgot to mention the bogus defunding line
So, you’re saying that you believe police aren’t doing their job because they’re not popular enough? Unfortunately, to a degree, I have to concur. The difference is, it sounds like you think that’s a reasonable response. I don’t.
“Unpopular” and “hit in the head with bottles” are different, to me at least
Thank you! Sorry if the NYPD had their precious feelings hurt, they are still paid to do their jobs….
you’re welcome to enlist
Riverside Drive and Morningside Drive need many more patrol cops.
This incident on RSD recalls another one from 2023. I”m not aware that the perp for the earlier incident was ever apprehended.
https://www.westsiderag.com/2023/02/08/65-vehicles-spray-painted-on-riverside-drive
I park on Broadway or near Broadway around Columbia University and still had my car vandalized several times. Tires stolen, radar sensor taken – just to name a few. And yes – I also had wheel lock installed. Car thieves keep getting savvier and when you couple that with zero police presence this is the result. Something really needs to change.
I guess some of the radical urbanists like the tyre extinguishers are pleased with this one!
They will be caught. The charges will be lessened at the bench. They will do it again. Progressive apologists will insist that this is the way to lessen crime. Thank you Alvin Bragg.
This is part of living in the city. It just IS. If you can’t afford a garage (and I get it!) you cannot afford to really have a car here. Like I said earlier in the week, Elkhorn is lovely. And your car is safe. But it’s NOT the UWS. Like it or not, this part of living on UWS. Other places you could go your whole life with no broken windows. Do you really NEED a car here if you can’t afford a safe garage?
It’s all about choices.
Garages in neighborhood for under $700/ month. But you would have to forego vacations in Belize and eating out 4 nights a week. Very few people who can afford rent here cannot also afford a garage.
Just sayin.
THIS. you either pay with time spent finding a spot and stress when wheels are gone the next day. or you pay for a garage and slide in and out with no trouble and worry about nothing. so sick of all the junkers that never move on my street. no sympathy – park on the street you get what you get
It’s very bizarre to reference the 70s and 80s at this point as if it’s at all relevant. It’s 50 years ago. It would be like someone in the 80s saying “Well, it was worse in the Great Depression”.
I don’t have a car but while I ride my bike up there I always think it’s an awful place to park at night.
If we charged people for parking we could spend the money on more police.
Two problems here: 1) no cops—the UWS precincts have been stripped of officers in order to staff other precincts in higher crime neighborhoods, and 2) no cameras. Call Gail Brewer—she’ll fix it. Just the way she’s promised to fix the years-long delays in repairing the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at 90th and Riverside and the Presbyterian Church at 86th and Amsterdam.
I went for a walk in Morningside park today and outside of the north end of the park there was an enormous amount of broken glass on the ground. There were definitely several vehicles broken into there too.
g
I parked my Toyota on Riverside Drive overnight during the 1970s and had no problem. The commenters here who think the police can prevent the vandalism if tasked to are fantasizing, unless they want tens of millions of dollars per year devoted to this particular crime zone.
Why arent our local politicians speaking against this / trying to do something about it?
Every elected official on the UWS supports Alvin Bragg, so they are telling you loud and clear that they don’t give a damn about your safety. Instead of simply voting for people simply because they are Democrats is not going to make you safer, find out what the candidates stand for and vote for the ones who are committed to your safety.