(AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Police-Accountability NYPD Stops
(Bronx, NY) — The NYPD is warning park goers to be careful following a series of midday muggings inside Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Police say all three incidents happened in the afternoon, with the first coming on December 13th. A man jogging on the Forest Trail had his cellphone and running belt snatched. Then on December 19th, investigators say a suspect on a dirt bike robbed a woman of her cellphone at knifepoint. And on Christmas Eve, a wanted mugger approached a jogger with a screwdriver before getting away with the victim’s cellphone. No one was hurt in any of the muggings. It’s not clear if all the incidents are connected.
On Sunday, police beefed up patrols to put those jogging and walking their dogs at ease. They were also were warning people using the park to come in groups for their own safety until arrests are made. Many in the park say they could not remember a time where they had worried about crime, especially in the middle of the day.
