Two more robberies in Central Park within 24 hours amid rising crime: Police

By Gus Saltonstall

A police spokesman confirmed to West Side Rag that there had been two robberies in Central Park in the last 24 hours.

Early Tuesday morning, around 1 a.m., a group of teenagers robbed three people of AirPods and jewelry after one of the teens indicated they had a gun, police said. The robbery occurred in Grand Army Plaza at the corner of 59th Street and Fifth Avenue.

The teenagers were arrested a short time later and the suspects, aged 17, 16 and 14, are now facing charges, police said.

Later, around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, two 20-year-olds were standing in Central Park near West Drive and 62nd Street when two people approached them and demanded a hat and jewelry, police said.

The perpetrators then fled with the items. No arrests had been made as of Wednesday morning, police said.

There were no injuries in either incident.

The two Central Park robberies came shortly after new data showed that the number of robberies in Central Park increased 222 percent in 2024 compared to the same period last year. In addition, the more than 30 robberies this year surpassed the total number of robberies in all of 2019, the year before the pandemic.

The NYPD said it has increased its presence in the park in recent months.

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