By Joy Bergmann
At about 6:42 a.m. on June 27, I spotted a man throwing chairs from Pier i Cafe into the Hudson River at West 70th Street in Riverside Park.
Rather than continue my southbound dog walk past a very agitated person, I started to U-turn. I then saw the man suddenly reach out and grab a young female jogger around the waist and grip her to him. She screamed and wrested herself free, breaking into sobs as the man walked away.
Concerned he could accost another person or worse, I called 911. Chair destruction was one thing. But aggressive physical contact crossed the line for me.
I told the 911 operator I had seen the man go across the bike path, past the Pier i Cafe restrooms and into the train tunnels area under Riverside Boulevard, headed south. Meanwhile, a couple of passersby comforted the woman for a moment before she continued north along the riverfront pathway.
Several NYPD units responded. I waved them down and described the man: Tan shirt, medium-light Black complexion, slim/athletic build, hair long enough to see from a distance — a couple of inches high on his head. Then I headed home.
Responding NYPD officers called me about 20 minutes later, stating they were staking out entry and exit points of the area where the man disappeared to see if he would re-emerge.
To alert fellow park-goers, I wrote up the incident for WSR. The editors wanted an additional source to corroborate my account. But multiple calls to NYPD’s press office, DCPI, yielded the same response: There was nothing in “the system” about what happened.
I rang up a law enforcement source for an explanation. “Did the victim stay on scene or file a police report?” he asked. I told him she jogged away.
“Well, there’s your answer,” he said. “No report means no crime.”
On July 6, the NYPD issued a press release and held a press conference noting how overall crime had been “driven down” across the city in June. Leaders of the NYPD’s 24th and 20th Precincts on the UWS reported similar crime declines during their recent Community Council meetings.
But how accurate a picture do “official” crime statistics paint?
According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics report Criminal Victimization in the 22 Largest U.S. States, 2017-2019 issued in March 2023, between 34% and 58% of violent crimes were reported to police. For property crimes, the percentage reported to police was between 28% and 44%.
How many UWS victims shake off an attempted assault or forcible touching incident without filing a report? How many businesses don’t bother with reporting shoplifting? How many packages get swiped from foyers without a burglary report?
Since 2015, I’ve written approximately 100 NYPD-related stories for WSR and attended dozens of meetings featuring NYPD leaders. Their consistent message to the public? “Report crimes.”
But calling 911 is not enough.
Ideally, a crime victim speaks with police and files a complaint report. However, a NYPD spokesperson told me that if there are multiple witnesses who stay at the scene — or if there is video of the incident to corroborate a witness account — police can take a report without a victim’s statement. “It will give us cause to look further into it, and perhaps find the victim to get their statement,” she said. Victims can report their experiences at a local precinct, or even online.
Decriminalization, non-prosecution and non-reporting is the bedrock of which progressives plan to bring down crime. Then when any normal citizen points out an issue with quality of life, just say “it’s not as bad as it was in the 70s”…..do this for long enough, people get numb to it and accept this is the new normal. It is happening in every major city.
You think progressives want to increase the number of crimes?
I do
Typically one prefers to be judicious and circumspect when replying to comments, but Frank, oh my gosh, what nonsense! “Decriminalization, non-prosecution and non-reporting is the bedrock of which progressives plan to bring down crime”? Utterly, unequivocally, unreservedly hogwash!
Murders, rapes, shootings, go unreported? Really?
Can you explain why those crimes are down?
Paul, sadly, many rapes are not reported.
But that’s always been true, so a downward trend should still mean actual rapes are down.
Yes less than one third ofsexual assaults are reported to police.
https://www.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/analysis_and_planning/historical-crime-data/seven-major-felony-offenses-2000-2022.pdf
Just as a point of reference check the chart above for top 7 Felony Crimes. In 2022 they were up from 95k 2017-2020 to over 122k in 2022. The crimes you mentioned (rape / murder) do not show a meaningful downtrend, certainly not enough to make up for the surge in others.
There is no question that crime went up in 2021 and 2022, And there’s no question that it’s down slightly from the 2022 peak. As noted with murders, rapes, and shootings. Indeed, the only major category that is not down is auto theft.
It’s also clear that crime, though up into 2022, never came close to the level of 2001, when Giuliani “made us safe.” The number for the year when “WE WERE SAFE” was 162k, far more than the 122k of last year.
Yet folk here insist we’re not as safe as then.
Why?
There were over 7700 murders during Rudy Giuliani’s time as mayor.That’s the reality.
If non-reporting has been fairly consistent over the years, then the drop in crime statistics would still be accurate. Crime has always been a problem, but the two things are different measures.
In my personal (own, family, friends) experience, non reporting is up. Either we contact police and they refuse to take a report, or we don’t even bother reporting because of the above or because it is clear nothing will be done.
Thank you. People always comment about crime statistics saying they’re not accurate because so many are unreported. But of course that’s always been true, so overall, statistics are still reliable.
It’s worth discussing what constitutes a crime on the upper west side? I go back to quality of life issues – aggressive panhandling, vagrancy, incredibly reckless and defiant dirty bike and moped riders. Why are these clear violations of the law not being addressed? People will argue with me but I’ve been here a long time and does have the feel of the troubling 70s and 80s era. Ask yourself: are you comfortable being out on the streets here at night? Are the homeless encampments on 110 and Broadway acceptable? Yes, it’s not as bad as it was. But that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable. Upper west side residents deserve better.
Why? Why do Upper West Side residents deserve better? And above 96th street you’re not really in the Upper West Side anymore, you’re in Manhattan Valley. 110th street isn’t the same as 73rd street.
Your geography is incorrect 110th Street is the northern boundary of the UWS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_West_Side). Manhattan Valley is a distinct neighborhood within the UWS that runs from 100th to 110th and from Broadway to Central Park West. On the other of Broadway is the Bloomingdale neighborhood, which runs west to the Hudson River from 96th to 110th.
The entire city deserves better, but this newsletter is about the upper west side.
For every reported crime there are many unreported.
Last week I saw a man break into a car, by the old fashioned side vent window. He snatched a cell phone and walked away. I did not have my phone with me so I did not report it.
When the owner got to his car and saw the damage and theft don’t you think he might have reported it?
Why? Unlike “oldtimer”, the owner did not see the event. Just reporting a broken window and a missing cell phone — if the police would even take such a report — would accomplish nothing toward apprehending the culprit or stopping future crime. Why bother?
I’ve filed a police report for a stolen phone. They took the report and followed up on it several times. To ask why bother is ridiculous.
Also, how many people are dissuaded from reporting actual crimes by the police?
What do you mean – dissuaded by the police?
I’ve called police several times in the last few years about harassment type crimes and they showed up quickly and asked me for specific details about perpetrators. I didn’t experience indifference.
PS The NYPD’s online reporting form states, “The NYPD Online Reporting Service does not accept reports of stolen cell phones or reports of lost or stolen vehicle license plates.”
That, right there, is dissuasive.
Thanks to WSR for including the link, though — very helpful in other cases.
We did. My husband’s phone was lost and then stolen. We tracked the phone (using Find My Phone) to an exact address, which we shared with the police as part of the report. We knew that it had been taken by an employee and where that employee lived.
The police shrugged their shoulders and told us to get a new phone.
@ Anna
Just because you have not experienced indifference by the police doesn’t mean many, many of us haven’t.
Jerry,
That’s true. I’m sorry to hear that the rest of you have.
I wonder how much autonomy the ordinary officers have in deciding how they react to different crimes.
I’m so sorry to hear that this happened and feel awful for the woman who was assaulted. I can only imagine how shaken up she was. It was good of you to see this through as much as you possibly could, Joy.
Out of protection for all women – and men – I urge anyone who has been assaulted to file a report. As much as one might be inclined to shake it off and carry on, the next person this individual assaults might be seriously injured, or worse.
I was once walking down the street in Brooklyn with my husband and another woman, and 3 men were walking toward us. As we got closer I could see they were not going to move to the side as we filed singly toward them. When they passed me (I was last in our single file) one of the men smacked into me and I nearly fell over, suffering a significant wrenching of my back. I reported the incident to the police knowing it wouldn’t go anywhere (which of course it didn’t) but I felt I should at least have it on record. I can’t imagine how terrified she must have. been, but thank you Joy for trying to help.
So sorry you experienced this. I think it’s great that you reported it, though. It can show a pattern of behavior, which can help when a suspect strikes (literally) again and is identified and apprehended. I’m so glad you weren’t seriously hurt, though scary all the same.
There is less reporting, less arrests, less convictions. This is not good. We need more cops.
We need more cops on street. . I emailed CP precinct to complain that they are nowhere to be seen while mayhem and physical threats from electric bikes abound
We need the cops we have to enforce the laws we have. The cops we have are doing nothing unless they are confronted with a felony.
It’s a cyclic answer: No one reports these incidents because everyone knows nothing will be done about them. And nothing is done about them because, without a report, nothing happened.
The key will be to break the cycle and that will not be easy. Until the police are allowed, if not required, to pursue citizen complaints to closure, no one will risk reporting. (Remember Kitty Genovese?). (No, of course you don’t ….)
How many times have you seen people jump the subway turnstile? And you wouldn’t consider recording it or reporting it because you know that even if caught the culprits will be right back on the street and your life will then be in danger.
In short: The police have to be allowed and directed to act, and the DA has to start prosecuting crimes even if he doesn’t like it. Until that happens it will only get worse.
I don’t believe you can report farebeating because it is a violation, not a crime for which one can be arrested. That is because our previous DA decided to make that change. Let’s have plainclothes police stationed at random at subway stations with the specific responsibility of arresting and handcuffing farebeaters, and word will get around fast enough.
Cato,
There are some subway stations where farebeating is routine – not just a few jumping the turnstile but many going through when the emergency door is held open and people swarm in….
Totally agree. And the penalties for those who are found guilty need to be meaningful, especially for repeat offenders.
Now, before some UWS Einstein asks what I mean by meaningful, I think that there should be detailed records kept and used regarding how many crimes someone has been found guilty of. First time jumping a turnstile is a minor penalty. Second time maybe a few months in jail. Third time a year in jail. The more you do it, the bigger the penalty. The bigger the crime, the bigger the penalty. Really not that hard.
I agree with you about meaningful punishment. However, for a turnstile jumper, the maximum cost he would have to the system is about $1,500 over the course of a year, which is the cost of 12 monthly metrocards. A year in jail costs taxpayers $115,000 for the turnstile jumper, who was likely jumping the turnstile because he simply couldn’t afford the $2.75 cost. Instead of spending $115,000 to put him in jail for a year, plus the costs for the police to arrest him and the prosecutors to prosecute him, 100 people could be given free unlimited metrocards. If you were going to put a thousand people in jail for jumping turnstiles, that would be 100,000 people getting free metrocards. And now, you will be down to only a handful of people jumping turnstiles.
But there are many crimes out there that we punish too leniently. For example, if a person driving a car does not yield to a pedestrian crossing with the light and puts that pedestrian in the hospital or even kills them, the driver can be charged a $250 fine. Compare that to someone cleaning a gun which accidentally goes off and kills someone. The gun cleaner can expect 10 years in jail.
There are lots of “respectable-looking” people going through the gates at subway stations, while someone is holding the gate open. Ditto on buses, people entering by the back door. By no means do they seem more impoverished than the passengers who pay.
Is “respectable-looking” a euphemism for White?
If not, just because a person takes care of their clothes does not mean they aren’t poor. They might have had to put the money into being “respectable-looking” in order to keep their job, so they can’t afford their fare. Since when can you look at a person and know how much money they make/have? Obviously some people base that judgement on skin pigmentation, but being too poor to afford the subway does not mean you have to look like a homeless person.
I twice replied, but WSR did not print my replies. Others downthread, though, have made replies. No reason to think all fare beaters evade paying because they are poor.
For every criminal you put in jail for a year for repeated fare-beating, 1,000 others will think twice. Put that in your calculator. Plus, since when does the government calculate the cost of putting criminals behind bars? No wonder we are so off track.
America has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. Has it eliminated crime? No; we still are one of the most violent developed country out there. The idea that just throwing people behind bars for minor offenses will serve as a major deterrent is not based in fact, and usually is more about our desire for retribution because we feel powerless.
Crimes are based on laws made by people. Not all crimes should be crimes and not all legal actions should be legal. But the idea that you are going to stop a person from jumping a turnstile because they can’t afford the fare by scaring them out of it is ridiculous.
We loved Aladdin, he as such a great Disney character. He only stole food because he was too poor to eat, which we were Ok with. Oh, and because Disney didn’t give him dark skin.
I personally think subway entrance should be FREE. Where you and I differ is that I have respect for RULES AND PROCESSES in an orderly society. If I want to help poor people gain access to the subway, I will work to change the laws or rules requiring payment to enter. I will NOT condone fare-beating or look the other way or refuse to enforce laws. To do otherwise is anarchy. Respect for the processes, in little supply these days, are what keeps our environment civil.
Josh,
There are some subway stations where farebeating is the “norm” – the door is held open and many people go in.
They are not all impoverished
72nd Street station is prime example. Students jump turnstiles every day while the rest of us pay the fare.
It’s no different here than anywhere else. In fact I’d bet UWSers are more likely to report crime than they are in a lot of neighborhoods. Just like we complain about rats.
That woman was completely wrong for not reporting this attack. I get that maybe she was in a rush that morning and had to go to work, but she should have followed up later. All unreported crimes lead to more crimes. I also get “what’s the point, nothing will happen to the attacker” and yes that’s mostly true, but we can’t have this misleading data.
So you are blaming the literal victim here.
Victim blaming occurs when someone says it is the victim’s fault that they were attacked. I did not imply that anywhere so your accusation is completely unfounded.
I am criticizing her for not reporting the crime. I was a victim of an attack in RSP in 2019 (which was reported in West Side Rag) and I dully reported my attack to the police.
I agree. In addition to the issue of accurate crime reporting, she should have done what she could to prevent the same thing or worse from happening to another woman.
Reporting crime is how we help protect each other.
There is someone that lurks around Riverside Blvd/ Riverside park that likes to harass distracted women and has attacked them. Not sure if it’s the same person but he is always lurking and looking for victims
I tried to report an attempted Subway assault at the 24th precinct. The police actively tried to prevent me from doing so. The entire building was full of people with no interest in police work. You absolutely cannot trust their stats.
Was it possible they were telling you that you needed to report it to the Transit Bureau and not to the 24th precinct? Different jurisdictions.
Thanks for the info, Josh. I’m very old New Yorker and never new that!
Exactly – we spend like $5 billion a year on cops and they don’t seem too motivated to do anything to deter or catch criminals… they certainly ignore every 311 report that lands in their inbox
This is simply not true. I’ve used the 311 app to report things and have personally witnessed follow up by the police well over 90% of the time.
Complete fiction. And it does nothing to help any issue. It was City Council that mandated police back off quality of life, starting around 2012. Now, we are way behind, but the hard core crime gets priority. 3-1-1 is not hard core crime. That goes to 9-1-1.
Maybe people feel like they do not have time between caring for kids, going to work, taking care of themselves, that they can stop to report every misdemeanor on the UWS. To do so would take a huge amount of time few of us can afford and to risk being called a ‘racist’ or ‘Karen.’
I recently reported pot smoking on a subway platform to a transit official, and they thanked me and said that’s not allowed and they would do something about it.
(I can’t guarantee anything was done because I left after that, but I appreciated the response.)
It took just 2 minutes to make the complaint.
I reported someone smoking on a subway car to a police officer on the platform while the train doors were still open and the offender was in plain sight. The officer expressed sympathy about this being a problem but otherwise took no action.
That’s awful.
I still think it’s worth reporting. If enough people do it, it shows serious concern and support for enforcement of the rules about smoking on MTA property. It’s vital for those of us with respiratory and other health issues that it not be ignored. The air quality is bad enough without smoke, drug or otherwise, in enclosed spaces.
I reported a couple smoking pot in a bank cash machine room a few months ago to 911, and the officers showed up quickly and wanted a description. They probably knew that the bank would back them for doing it, so they felt confident about pursuing it. I don’t know what directions the MTA is giving transit officers about smoking crimes, but I would be curious.
I think a lot of the commentariat on here is against Bragg, against the “keep them out of Rikers no matter what further crimes they commit” thing. Why do we keep posting the same complaints?
Let’s try to find candidates who uphold human freedom (that disqualifies DeSantis clones) AND who affirm that some of the important freedoms are freedom from theft and from being maimed or killed.
Reporting any disturbance is a must at this point. Officers from the 24th precinct have always said to call and report anything happening at my store and encourage me to call. They want the data, they need the data. The amount of unruly dangerous episodes happening all along Broadway between 67th and 110th is frightening, absurd and we just keep allowing it because we are not calling the police. We are putting up with not feeling safe, with destruction of property, women being accosted or punched, senior citizens no longer comfortable walking after dark or alone. For all the money we are paying to live here with rents, mortgages and in taxes, this is UNACCEPTABLE. Our elected officials have failed us and are getting away with it. How many more women have to be frightened, touched or punched before we do something and say enough is enough? Our officials are not speaking about it so no one is doing anything g about it. Make the phone calls. This article could not be more correct.
It’s interesting that the data on unreported crime is nationwide and that it’s not limited to this city.
The bottom line is that absent evidence that the percentage of crimes that go unreported has increased the data on reported crimes is reliable and that data shows that in New York City crime has peaked and is slightly declining.
If you want to know how many crimes are actually occurring on the UWS, download the app that tracks police communications. I forget the name of the app. You would not believe the number of crimes that are occuring right now as we speak. That app will make your head spin.
It’s called Citizen, and you’re being dramatic. Right now there are about 10 things on the app from the last 24 hours or so, for the entire UWS, an area of hundreds of thousands of residents, surrounded by a city of more than 8 million. And many of those incidents are reports of police activity (could be anything), traffic accidents, fires, etc. The UWS is a remarkably safe area statistically.
My message to everyone: vote based on your lived experience not the data, which are not to be relied upon.
Joy – thank you.
You were our hero that day, and I am incredibly grateful and appreciative for what you did by calling the police.
Two years ago I was attacked (broad daylight, 8:30am weekday) on Riverside Drive across from Grant’s Tomb, while jogging. Struck by a rock which mercifully hit me in the back and not my head. It was inconvenient to call 911, file a report, unsuccessfully canvas the area etc. However, it turned out I was the 4th victim…and the first NOT struck in the head and seriously injured. My report enabled detectives to establish a pattern and description which led to an arrest two days later when he went after victim #5. I was later asked by the ADA to testify before a Grand Jury…again, not convenient…but it led to his incarceration. It is our civic duty, whether we are victims or witnesses, to report crimes and follow up whenever possible. It makes a huge difference IMO.
Stay safe and alert out there, neighbors!
Thank you, Joy, for this article. This shows how important it is to report crimes.
There is practically no police presence in Riverside park South. How about a cop on the beat walking around that area.
The most important message in this article is to be aware and ACT. Law enforcement is a whole other can of worms past, present, and future. Being a good citizen and paying attention to bad actors and helping fellow citizens is number one. Well done.
And how many times are people jostled or knocked down by bikes? Or threatened, stalked, or mugged? Most don’t report it.
What evidence is there to support this claim?
It seems to me that if the police were to confront eBike riders and motorcyclists who break the law by going through red lights, riding on the sidewalk, etc., we could solve the NYC budget problem. (The motorcycles and eBikes could be confiscated until the fine is paid.) But then again, I don’t recall the last time I saw a police officer on the street, except for the groups of officers who spend time looking at their cellphones in front of the 72nd Street / Broadway subway station.
What about the *cars*, *trucks*, and *buses* that break the law by going through red lights? That logically seems to be a more pressing safety problem, not to mention a more lucrative and easier to identify source of income. 67 people were injured in a single red light burning incident 3 days ago involving a tourist bus — of which 32 people were sent to the hospital. Personally I’m more terrified at the thought of being wiped out by a 27,000lb double decker bus barreling along at 40mph — far faster than any non-motorized bike can possibly go — but maybe I’m the paranoid one.
Dear “I drive a car in NYC” — why not both? Confronting misbehavior by e-bikes and bicyclists has nothing to do with enforcing traffic laws pertaining to cars, trucks and buses. We can and should do both. However, the “bikes on the sidewalk” problem and “bikes going the wrong way in bike lanes” are relatively new issues, and would be pretty straight forward to address in the next 6 months. Let’s nip this in the bud.
Pedestrian & non-driver here….though vehicles inherently dangerous, most drivers obey the law.
But the majority of Manhattan bicyclists – especially Citibike and racing folks – ignore the law. They go through red lights, go the wrong way, weave around pedestrians.
Bicyclists are a menace to pedestrians.
Obviously, no cars, trucks nor buses breaking the law should get off free. But in my experience, there are relatively rare. I doubt that I see more than a couple a week along West End Ave. where I live. But it is hard to see a time when no motorcyclists, motorized bikes or motorized scooters are not traveling on sidewalks or going through red lights.
Are you saying it’s relatively rare for cars, trucks, and buses to blow lights? That is greatly different from my experience. I estimate that 100s of them blow the light at 96th and Broadway alone every day.
No, I did not write that. If you were to read what I actually wrote, it says, “…in my experience”. Clearly, there are differences among places and times of day. Your observations show that it is time for the police to set up shop at 96th and Broadway. The question remains, :”Why are the police tolerating these life threatening situations?”
Lin and Jerry, I don’t mean to minimize your concerns, but your experience is simply not reflected by real statistics. This is why major policy decisions need to be guided by well-established facts, personal experiences are prone to personal bias. Cars, trucks, and buses are far and away the biggest safety threat to pedestrians in New York — not mopeds, not bicycles, not e-bikes, not rabid raccoons, and not falling air conditioners.
Shoplifting is under reported.
https://nypost.com/2023/07/11/ignoring-shoplifting-turns-convenience-stores-into-minefields/
It is reassuring to know that witnesses to the jogger’s assault, came forward to comfort her, even if the assailant escaped.
Anywhere, even in the relative safety of the UWS, women are still stalked (hunted), as befell my own daughter between 81st and 84th on Columbus Avenue two weeks ago in broad daylight.
Street-smart, she escaped her pursuer by ducking into a store as he screamed, “She KNOWS!”! He followed her in and guarded the exit.
In desperation, she approached a stranger – an English teacher named “Rob” – who grasped her situation immediately and stood by her until her defeated tormentor left.
So, thank you “Rob”, and all the other empathetic “Robs” out there, and to Joy for keeping awareness up and the NYPD link.
That’s horrible, Margot. I hope she has recovered.
Did she call the police? If so, what was their response?
Thank you Anna for asking! She’s fine now – just emotionally shaken up and scared at the time. Unfortunately, she did not report it. Being 25, she has the GEN-Z mistrust of the police that they would do nothing – especially for women. However, this article (and me!) has convinced her that next time (and hopefully there WON’T be a next time) she will better understand her options to report it and why it’s so important to do so.