Young migrants behind recent increase in robberies in Central Park: NYPD
UPPER WEST SIDE (WABC) -- Young migrants living in city-run shelters are believed to be behind recent increases in robberies in the southern end of Central Park, surrounding their victims and using "wolfpack force" to mug them, according to the NYPD.
"Southern part of the park, we see a lot of robberies, group robberies, young kids, mugging people or taking their property, we believe these are young migrants who are committing these robberies," NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said Wednesday on Mornings @ 10.
An 11-year-old arrested in connection to a robbery in the subway Tuesday night was captured on surveillance video using credit cards from one of the Central Park victims, who is part of an eight-incident pattern.
Two of the three young suspects arrested in a robbery in Grand Army Plaza in Central Park early Tuesday are residing in city-run migrant shelters, one of them at the Row Hotel.
"Although they're very young, you know, very impressionable, they do have a big influence on this group, you know, and that's something we haven't really readily seen," NYPD Detective Bureau Assistant Chief Jason Savino said. "It's one of the first times I've ever seen it in my career."
The suspects in Tuesday night's mugging who robbed two men in their 20s sitting on a park bench are believed to be 16 or 17. That happened at West 62nd Street and West Drive around 10:45 p.m.
As a food vendor in New York City, Alan Kemp has seen it all. But lately, he says he's even more watchful in Central Park.
"I can't afford to get robbed, ripped off, mugged, stabbed," Kemp said. "I heard that people are getting stabbed. And I can't afford to go through that. Not at my age. Now I'm 68."
NYPD officials are preparing to deploy drones in Central Park by the end of the month. The drones will respond to incidents in less than one minute, and track suspects until police officers arrive on the ground.
Until then, 40 extra police officers will be deployed into Central Park every night after 7 p.m., targeting the hours when the majority of the muggings are occurring.
"We look at the map, these are where the crimes are happening in the southern part of the park, maybe between 7 p.m. and maybe midnight," Chell said. "We put those 40 extra cops between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. like you said, we call it cops on the dots and we will start from there."
Wednesday night marked the first night of the stepped up police patrols -- as officers on scooters, horses and bicycles moved into the park.
Half of the suspects arrested for robberies in the southern end of Central Park so far this year are migrants.
It's part of an alarming rise in robberies at the park. At least 30 robberies have been reported in the park this year, compared to just 10 during the same period in 2023.
There have also been 10 felony assaults this year compared to just seven last year.
Grand larcenies are on the uptick as well.
Chief of Patrol John Chell spoke about the new drones and how they work on Eyewitness News Mornings @ 10:
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