NYC Local News: Moped Riding Chain, Bike Snatchers Struck 17 Times Thru-out Manhattan, Bronx

NYPD Looking for Help Identifying Moped Riding Suspect in Bronx, Manhattan Robbery Pattern

By Dan Gesslein 

Manhattan Voice 

November 14, 2025 

NYC LOCAL NEWS - Cops are looking for a moped riding robbery crew that has terrorized neighborhoods throughout Manhattan and the Bronx. The crew steals victims’ mopeds right out from under them and also snatch chains, cops said. 

Investigators released new surveillance photos of one of the suspects on a moped. The NYPD said the robberies are a pattern in which the moped rides up with two men on board. One jumps off and displays a handgun to a person sitting on another moped. The gunman forces the owner off the bike and then the gunman rides off on the stolen bike with his partner following on his moped. 

The first known incident took place on September 14, when a 31-year-old man was sitting on his moped near Clay Avenue and East 167th Street in the Bronx. Two people rolled up next to him and one flashed a gun. Within seconds, they took off with the victim’s ride.

Only two weeks later, a nearly identical robbery happened at University Avenue. Again, the victim was stationary on his bike; again, armed suspects approached; again, the bike was taken.

As the pattern continued, the suspect shifted between solo and two-person operations. Most of the robberies involved jewelry—neck chains were a frequent target—and in many cases the victims were simply walking down the street when they were suddenly confronted.

Several robberies occurred in the 44th, 46th, 48th, 49th, and 52nd Precincts. In some cases, victims were approached in broad daylight while walking. In one Bronx incident, a suspect struck a victim in the head with a firearm after grabbing her neck chain. Another victim lost $500 when the suspect held him at gunpoint and took the cash from his wallet.

Jewelry thefts were common—multiple victims reported having chains ripped from their necks—and many victims declined medical attention, despite being shaken by the suddenness of the encounters.

The suspect also struck across Manhattan precincts, including the 1st, 19th, 20th, and Midtown South Precincts. One victim even had a gun pressed to his cheek as the suspect ordered him off his bike. 

Another incident involved a struggle, during which the suspect fired the gun once before fleeing with the victim’s bag. Thankfully, no one has been seriously injured in any of the cases.

The targets appear random—men and women ranging in age from 16 to 76—and the circumstances vary, but the pattern remains consistent: a quick approach on a two-wheeled vehicle, a threat or display of a firearm, and a fast getaway.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.

All calls are confidential.