By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
INWOOD — A mother walking with her 17-month-old baby was mugged while walking through Inwood Hill Park at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, police said.
The victim was walking on the path between the Indian Road playground and the baseball fields when she was approached by two approximately 16-year-old boys who demanded she give them all she had, according to police.
One of the teens said he had a gun while motioning under his sweatshirt, police said. The woman said she handed over her wallet with credit cards and no cash.
Parents on a local parenting listserv said they were concerned about the robbery and worried it might be further evidence of an uptick in crime recently experienced in Inwood and Washington Heights.
"Very upset to hear this!," Inwood parent Juliet LeBien wrote. "Shame on them; how terrible to rob a woman with a stroller. This makes me want to do a 'stroller rally,' where we go out with our kids in strollers to say we're not scared, we will draw attention to this, don't mess with us."
Another parent on the site said it is time for Inwood’s neighborhood patrol to regroup and take to the streets.
The Guardian Angels had begun patrols of the area after a woman was sexually attacked in Inwood Hill Park and Benjamin "E.Q." Garcia, a member of the group, said patrols were to start up again this month.
The police have said they are aware of increased crime in Upper Manhattan. Last month Captain Jose Navarro of the 34th Precinct announced that an 60 additional temporary police officers had been assigned to the 34th Precinct to stem the tide of robberies, grand larceny and assaults.
Navarro said police would begin increased patrols concentrating on W. 181st Street near St. Nicholas and Audubon avenues, beginning on Oct. 28. Sources said an increase in police officers near the entrance of Fort Tryon Park has been consistent for the past several weeks as well.
No word yet on whether patrols have increased in Inwood since the announcement.
