UPPER WEST SIDE — A cyclist riding near Grant's Tomb Monday was thrown from his bike by a man who then stole it with the help of two accomplices in a brazen daylight attack, police confirmed.
A 40-year-old Harlem resident was riding south on Riverside Drive at about 15 mph when he said a shirtless young man shoulder checked him, sending him flying off his $650 Scott hybrid.
As the victim — whose first name is David, but who didn't want his full name used — scrambled to his feet, the mugger and two accomplices gathered around his bike several feet away. The leader of the gang tried to pedal off, but couldn't, apparently because the chain had been displaced by the impact of the attack, the victim said.
Instead, the suspected thief and his alleged helpers pushed the bike toward Tiemann Place as David dialed 911 on his cellphone. Officers from the 26th Precinct arrived at the scene while the victim was still talking to the 911 operator, he said.
The attack, first reported by My Upper West, happened about 12:30 p.m. just north of Grant's Tomb on Riverside Drive near Tiemann Place, police said. David was on his way to a bike ride in Central Park.
"If I wasn't wearing a helmet, I don't know what would have happened," said David, who had been on his way to Central Park. "The thing that's shocking is that they were willing to put someone through that, or worse, for a bike. It never occurred to me. I've had cars try to murder me, but not pedestrians."
Police searched the area, but didn't find the suspected muggers, who were last seen near Claremont Avenue, the victim said.
No arrests have been made in the case, but police have identified "persons of interest," a police source said. The attack was a "stand-alone event" and is not considered to be part of a larger pattern, the source said.
The victim's knees, elbow and shoulder were banged up in the attack, but his injuries weren't serious, he told DNAinfo. He said his helmet likely saved him from more serious harm.
