Crime in Central Park: NYPD increases patrols in the park in view of increasing number of robberies

MANHATTAN (WABC) — Central Park remained quiet throughout the night, likely due to increased police presence following a series of crimes against park visitors.

The latest robberies were allegedly committed by children. Police say the teenagers live in migrant accommodation.

Something had to be done to put an end to the robberies, so the New York Police Department increased its patrols.

Starting Wednesday afternoon, police officers moved into Central Park on scooters, on horseback and on bicycles.

Dozens of police officers on foot held a roll call in front of Central Park.

Surveillance video showed a group of children – presumably all in the city's migrant shelters – surrounding a tourist on a park bench and stealing his wallet.

According to police, the suspect is only 11 years old. A video shows him using a stolen credit card in a fast food restaurant.

This card was stolen in one of the Central Park robberies.

The authorities also have a video showing him checking into a migrant shelter.

Two of the three young suspects arrested early Tuesday in a robbery at Grand Army Plaza in Central Park live in city migrant shelters, one of them at the Row Hotel.

Police have put up posters with pictures of some of the youths. No one has been injured in the attacks so far, but police are taking the rise in crime in the park seriously.

“Groups of eight to 12 young men approached victims in the park and violently robbed them of anything they could take, Airpods, jewelry,” said Deputy Chief Jason Savino of the NYPD Detectives Bureau.

The youths were mostly seen in the southern part of the park; the most recent robberies took place below 65th Street.

“In the southern part of the park, we are seeing a lot of robberies, gang robberies, young children robbing people or taking their property. We believe these robberies are being committed by young migrants,” NYPD Patrol Chief John Chell said Wednesday on the “Mornings @ 10” show.

Most of the victims were tourists.

NYPD officers are preparing to deploy drones in Central Park by the end of the month. The drones will respond to incidents in less than a minute and track suspects until police arrive on the scene.

Until then, an additional 40 police officers will be deployed in Central Park every evening from 7 p.m., the time when most robberies take place.

Chief of Patrol John Chell spoke on Eyewitness News Mornings @ 10 about the new drones and how they work:

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