A group of three teenagers are in police custody after a reported mugging in New York City’s largest park, representing a pattern of increased robberies in the area and overall rates of crime rising throughout the city, a phenomenon that appears to contradict the mayor’s recent claims that criminal activity has gone down.
The recent mugging occurred around 1 a.m. Tuesday at Grand Army Plaza in Central Park at 59th and Fifth Avenue. The suspects approached the victims, with one apparently motion simulating they had a gun, officials reported. They are accused of mugging three victims, ages 35, 21 and 15, of their AirPods and a chain.
Police said the teens fled the scene, but the cops quickly caught up with three of them just a few blocks away, at 57th Street. Officials say charges are still pending against the three suspects, who are reportedly ages 17, 16 and 14, and a fourth teen is still being sought.
This incident is indicative of a recent surge of robberies in Central Park, which are up 200% this year, with 30 reported, versus 10 at this point last year, according to the city. However, these numbers are also tied to an overall spike in crime across NYC in 2024, as there have been 10 felonious assaults versus seven at this point last year for a 42.9% increase, while major crime is up 46%. There have been 73 incidents in 2024, while in 2023, there were 50, the NYPD said.
These reports of increased criminal activity appear to go against Mayor Eric Adams’ recent assertions that overall crime is down. At a press conference on Tuesday, Adams said there was 4.2% decrease in overall crime during the month of July, and also reported that there have been double-digit drops in subway crime over the past six months, including the lowest number of robberies in recorded histories in the subway system.
In the meantime, on July 3, the Mayor announced at a press conference that for “Six straight months, crimes have decreased.” He went on to add, “The men and women of the NYPD continue the critical work that has made New York the safest big city in America. Major felony crime is down in four of seven categories year to date, including reductions in murder, burglary, grand larceny, and auto theft.”
While Adams announced that he will deploy drones to surveil Central Park due to the reports of robberies there, his reassurances that most categories of crime have declined don’t seem to coincide with the recently recorded trends of violent crimes such as robberies and assaults spiking across the city.
