By Gus Saltonstall
A man was robbed at knifepoint Saturday night on the Upper West Side, a police spokesperson confirmed to West Side Rag.
A 52-year-old man was standing around 9:20 p.m. at Broadway and West 60th Street, when two people approached him and flashed a knife, NYPD said. After threatening the victim, the duo snatched an unspecified amount of money from the man, and fled the scene, police added.
The 52-year-old man was not injured in the incident, and there have been no arrests as of Sunday morning, NYPD said.
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“…two people approached him and flashed a knife…”
Two people flashing one knife, or two with a knife each? Yes, I’d say it makes a difference.
As I understand it, both of them were holding the knife together. It may have been a very big knife. Which is probably what scared the guy.
I had indeed considered that possibility before dismissing it favor of the poor-phrasing explanation.
really?
Truly. (If for no other reason than that the passage’s phrasing seems questionable.)
Nope, zero difference if they’re facing you or Chuck Norris, as we all recently learned.
The knife count is only one relevant factor; there are others, such as the positioning of the two (are you able to flee?), the population in the immediate vicinity (anyone around to hear you scream or even lend a hand?), their apparent physical condition, etc. Also, even the fact that there are TWO miscreants tells us something useful: crazed psychos tend to rove alone, so there might well be some semblance of reason among the duo one can leverage. Chances are the would-be robbers are counting on your quick submission and would much prefer to avoid trouble; that’s the business model.
Blanket statements such as yours are no substitute for assessing a particular situation and, pardon me for saying, smack of defeatism and helplessness, a state various factions in society today would no doubt love to encourage.
This being a “free” country, ahem, one always has the option of cowering. But if you ask me, stay strong and stay vigilant!
Love the analysis and the advice! It’s like you read it in a book!
I do confess to reading books and even learning from them.
It’s very weird because why would muggers with a knife choose to rob somebody in such a highly populated well space on the street
You are right. It’s very odd. because 60th and Columbus, right up the block, is dark and 60th and Broadway is the corner of Columbus Circle, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, cars, doormen, and lots of tourists and shoppers and residents. However, the story did not indicate which side of Broadway. My guess is it was not the west side, where the Deutsche Bank Buildings are, but probably the east side of the street, one block from Central Park. That is dark and not very populated.
Maybe because they believe they can get away with it? And maybe they’d be right.
Too much fluff and no essence in the comment
Care to be more specific?
Sorry, I can’t tell you precisely what to do under any circumstance. Hard as it may be, a little independent thought is required.
How? Are you implying that if only one of them had a knife, the victim should have been able to overpower them?
No; as I elaborated to Peter above, I’m saying it’s one pertinent detail among several, and one’s actions should be decided by a consideration of those factors. The goal is not necessarily to overpower one’s assailants but rather to avoid being overpowered by them — the art of fighting without fighting, to coin a phrase.
Incidentally, you said “overpower them”, but depending on the knife count, only one (or zero!) might required overpowering. So yes, it makes a difference.
ECM –Assuming you want to take the risk to negotiate with muggers, at least one of which is holding a deadly weapon (and lol, going to bet you’d hand over your wallet and not try to negotiate , as any sensible person would), why on earth would one knife-bearing mugger with a non-knife bearing companion (and hello, he might also have a weapon he hasn’t pulled out yet) be more receptive to negotiation than if they were both holding knives. Your initial point was silly, but your attempts to defend it are even sillier.
Who said anything about negotiating? That would be you.
For reasons I explained to Anon (a relative?), betting that I’d hand over my wallet would, if put to the test, inevitably come out of YOUR pocket.
I regret that you seem to consider evaluating one’s circumstances “silly”; good luck to you!
The goal is to walk away unharmed. That is probably as easy as “here is my wallet and phone”. One knife is all I need to see.
Yes, it MIGHT be just that easy. Then again, it might not. (I myself carry neither phone nor wallet. How would the bandits react to that?) All I’m advocating is to assess the situation and act appropriately, hardly a very radical notion.
Oh, how is losing one’s wallet and phone, never mind one’s dignity, walking away unharmed?
It’s interesting that you never, ever need to purchase anything or to call anyone or be called by them, ecm. That is not the case for the overwhelming majority of us.
Be that as it may, the only ‘appropriate” way to deal with a person threatening you with a knife– or with 10 people threatening you with 10 knives– if you don’t give them your wallet is to give them your wallet, because the other alternative is almost certainly bleeding out on the sidewalk. Your money and phone can be replaced; your life cannot.
And dignity? You think it’s more dignified to bleed out on the sidewalk than it is to lose your wallet? Are you under the impression that people look with scorn upon those who hand over their wallet when threatened by an armed mugger?
What a weird world you live in, ecm, but it’s not the one the rest of us live in.
It’s also interesting how readily you jump to mistaken conclusions about my purchasing practices. I wrote only that I carry no wallet, not that I don’t carry cash. (Credit? Don’t believe in it!) As for my lack of phone service the past year or so, prompted by T-Mobile’s embrace of the our white-nationalist regime’s anti-DEI jihad, I’ve found it at worst a minor inconvenience, email being an adequate (indeed, preferable) alternative in most cases. That this is not how the overwhelming majority does things is not a bother and may even be a plus.
Are you proposing I carry around an empty wallet to tender would-be muggers as the only “appropriate” alternative to bleeding out on the sidewalk? Perhaps I misread you. As one who has survived attacks from guttersnipes wielding knives, lawn chairs, and fists, and lived to tell the tale, I would find the suggestion a tad overreactive.
Fortunately, MY sense of dignity is wholly independent of the scorn — or praise, or unconcern — of others; the only person I care to make proud of me is myself, and I’ve never regarded willingness to submit to bullies as a mark of character. You’re welcome to your world.
In this case the man had money to hand over and walked away unharmed. Any money that I might be carrying, as well as my phone, are close to meaningless to me. Not fighting about something so trivial is part of dignity.
If possible, don’t fight. But also if possible, don’t submit. Ubiquitous capitulation has never done a society much good, as far as I’m aware.
ecm, you obviously lost the debate. Time to go.
Never surrender, never retreat.
NYPD substation 1 block away.
They could be 20 feet away but too busy with their phones. They should walk their beats. It will be good for them too.
The phones are for work. Ever see one of those little, black memo pad books anymore? No, because those are long gone. Every thing they record and get info from nowadays is the phone. Try to catch up.
and?
That’s Transit Division. Cops are notorious for only caring about crimes that occur in their precinct or even sector, for that matter.
And cops nearby, not on the street, don’t do much.
No description of the perps?
One was wearing a hat. The other was wearing another hat.
Well then, 2 people wearing only hats should be waaay easy to recognize.
You must be new here.
Bizarre – that area used to be pretty busy that time of night on Saturday. Is that corner under scaffolding?
No scaffolding. Very busy intersection with the Time Warner building on the other side of street.
Although I myself strongly prefer sticking with original building names (and always say “Sixth Avenue”), it’s worth noting that today this is called the Deutsche Bank Center. In any case, the proximity of the TRUMP name across the street may reassure criminals that they have allies in high places.
Someone call in the violence interrupters.
Boring comment.
It obviously excited you enough to comment.
Maybe it’s time a new “crime” graphic? Hard to keep track because this same image with a similar (same) headline seems to pop up at least once every week.
I can’t tell if this is new or old news.
The date of the article should help clue you in.
Honest question: shouldn’t the cops start their investigation with the nearby housing project?
What housing project? Trump Tower?
I was gonna say, it’s a sketchy block on both sides of Broadway, and the Trump Hotel’s raised plaza makes matters worse after dark. It could use more lightning.
Based on what evidence–“round up the usual suspects”?
No. Based on data that shows a larger correlation of street crime in areas with public housing projects.
Joe,
But how would you start, just assume every resident of the projects must know something about all street crime in the area?
The cops should start by looking at 60th Street and B’way security camera footage, and I assume they have. What you advocate is a giant waste of resources.
It’s not a waste of resources to look at security camera footage from the housing projects. Or talk to innocent people there who see daily the problems caused by other residents.
Doing this helps the residents of the projects.
No, just looking at project security footage is a waste without a description from the victim and good area security video that shows the alledged perps walking to the projects, which are 2 long blocks away.
What you advocate is harrassing project residents sans cause; this will lead to justified anger at the cops and less cooperation when real evidence exists.
Those two people (men? women?) should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. With that very detailed description of the perps I’m sure they will be apprehended shortly and prosecuted by our stalwart D,A. Alvin Bragg.
If arrested police will charge felony robbery. District Attorney will plea bargain to Misdemeanor Petit Larceny. Judge will release perps in Contemplation of Dismissal.
Cue the “but crime is down” head in the sand crowd. Broadway and 60th at 9:20pm on a Saturday night. This is not acceptable.
Totally agree! Columbus Circle area should be crowded with people on Saturday night at 9:20pm.
Crime IS down. Turn of the Citizen app.
Yup, brace yourself for a long rant from Josh P, complete with carefully cherry‑picked stats and accusations that anyone who disagrees is either a Trump supporter or a boomer (which he now seems to treat as a slur). Or we’ll get UWS Dad demanding to know why the police aren’t doing anythin while still calling to defund them and proudly voting for Bragg.
Yes, it’s important to look at statistics because the existence of a single crime in a neighborhood with 200,000 residents and even more workers and visitors doesn’t tell us much. I trust people here to judge which is the more intelligent way to keep us safe.
Please share any statistics you have that aren’t “cherrypicked” like the ones I post from the NYPD.
What’s Bragg supposed to do without an arrest? The courts can’t do anything if the NYPD can’t catch anyone.
Josh P didn’t disappoint. He hit all the points I referenced.
Just as it’s possible to lie with statistics, so too is it possible — and in fact easy, and far too often on display around here — to dissemble and err anecdotally.
I don’t want the debate over our neighborhood’s safety to be dominated by people who proudly put anecdotes and feelings above facts.
Description of suspects?
That is a very busy corner, near Columbus Circle, isn’t it? Does this sort of thing happen in when there are crowds around? Very troubling and confusing.
Right. I noticed and commented the same. I’m wondering how accurate and credible this report is.
Yes, a very busy corner with bus stops on both sides of Broadway often with several people waiting for the bus. Always seems like such a safe area — I walk through it almost daily and often in the evening coming home and arriving at the bus stop. Very distressing news.
Is there some kind of design that would improve this area at night? It is is dark, desolate and dangerous.
Why do you think it is dark, desolate and dangerous???
just another nail in the city’s coffin.
Hah. You clearly did not live here in the 1970s/80s.
Why only 70s or 80s? Why not 40s or 50s?
At least the 1970s and 1980s cops could do something about muggers, sure crime is down today, but with congestion pricing and other nickel and dime schemes, we are now being mugged by New York State government and there is nothing that cops can do about that.
They can and do hide the plates on personal cars. That’s doing something [for themselves].
These crooks were amateurs. No cell phone or watch?
Columbus Circle used to be so beautiful and safe. Now it is crime ridden. The City better get their acts together and decrease crime in this area.
No, it is not crime ridden. This report is very suspect.
And even if it did happen, it’s a well populated area and crime is not a problem.
I dunno Nora, you might want to start looking into selling that condo…
Or what, you’ll finally move to Florida?
Snickering isn’t a good look, Claire. Maybe try thinking about the victims for once instead of scrambling for a gold star from the ultra-left.
“Victims” include those who choose to live in fear, which isn’t much of a way to live though it does secure the (R) the majority of their votes.
Wah wah wah, have you packed yet? I hear Orlando is nice this time of year
” Did you say Sergio? From Rio? Darkish, lightish hair? About this high? Heavyset thin guy?
“You know Sergio! Come join us!”
9:20 PM? That’s just around where Trump Tower is at Columbus Circle which is highly populated and lit up.
Weird.
Actually it’s the Trump International Hotel and Tower; Trump Tower is that structure over at Fifth Ave. & 56th St. built from mob-supplied concrete by undocumented Polish immigrants paid $4/hour for working 12-hour shifts (although getting all their rightful wages required a multitude of lawsuits over 37 years). It is among NYC’s least energy-efficient buildings and the architectural godfather of the superskinnies along Billionaires’ Row disfiguring the skyscape and blotting out the sun in Central Park; its occupancy and revenue have plummeted in recent years, albeit not quite as rapidly as many of Putin’s generals.
The Trump International Hotel and Tower, in contrast, is the former Gulf & Western Building after a 1990s face-peel; it has 44 floors, though DT claims 52 — perhaps in much the same way he boasts of having won the Nobel Peace Prize or being otherwise impressively endowed.
Just so we’re clear on this.
Ever tried keeping it short, ecm?
Brevity’s the soul of wit, after all.
See above.
Trump Tower with loads of police cars are ALWAYS parked at 60th and Broadway. Maybe this took place on the west side of the street?
Not Trump Tower, a reclad Trump Hotel+condo. No big cop presence.
Trump Tower is 56th and 5th. Lots of NYPD + feds.
ok trump hotel my mistake. there are always several police cars parked on broadway with cops inside the cars. they’re watching for graffiti
Okay, that’s a change, I guess it came with Trump2.
If the cops are there looking for anti-Trump graffitiers I suspect they’re not looking for muggings, that’s if they can put down the Candy Crush.
Actually there is a big police presence along the entire side of the Trump Hotel almost every time I walk by, which is daily.
On the CPW side.
no, it’s on the broadway side right near the bus stop at 60th street
Is this a joke about congestion pricing? (the cameras are exactly at that location)
Facing north.