EAST HARLEM — The neighborhood has recently seen a rash of violent robberies, with four unrelated incidents since last week — including one in which a man was stabbed in the neck and two other muggings that also sent victims to the hospital, according to the NYPD.
In the first case, a 55-year-old man told police that an unknown number of men attacked him on May 29 around 7 p.m. near East 125th Street and First Avenue, stealing his wallet containing $400 in cash and his EBT card. The victim was taken to Harlem Hospital for treatment, police said.
A day later, a 20-year-old man reported that was he stabbed in the neck by a suspect trying to steal his phone as he was standing at East 124th Street and Park Avenue around 11:30 p.m., police said.
During that incident, a 19-year-old man asked him for the time, then tried to grab the victim's phone, stabbing him with a sharp tool when the victim tried to fight back, police said. The suspect fled with the cellphone, and the injured man was taken to Harlem Hospital.
On June 1, a 30-year-old man told police he was standing outside his home near East 116th Street and Park Avenue around 10 p.m. when eight men ran up to him and began punching and kicking him in the face and body.
The assault lasted for about 10 minutes, and the suspects ultimately got away with $400 in cash and the man’s cellphone, police said. The victim suffered bruising to his face and was taken to a nearby hospital.
A day after that, a 49-year-old man told police he was attacked around 7 a.m. near East 123rd Street and First Avenue as he was heading to work.
He said he was approached by a man who grabbed him from behind and threw him to the ground, while a woman took $107 and his wallet, police said. The victim suffered bruising to his face and received medical attention at the scene.
There had been no arrests as of Wednesday afternoon in any of the incidents, police said.
Robberies in the 25th Precinct, which covers the northern part of East Harlem, were up nearly 55 percent during the 28-day period ending May 28 — the most recent period for which the statistics are available — compared to the same time last year, according to NYPD.
