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Cop Jumped Twice By Riverside Park Stripped Of His Badge, Gun
By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 9, 2011
Modified Nov 9, 2011
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photo courtesy DNAinfo/David Torres
By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 9, 2011
Modified Nov 9, 2011
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NYPD's Internal Affairs department, which hasn't been as active as some would like of late, is currently investigating a very strange case on the Upper West Side. Officer Benjamin Ambrosio, 28, claims that he was attacked twice while off-duty in two months in the same area near Riverside Park. Now, DNAinfo reports, Ambrosio has been put on modified duty and stripped of his gun and badge while Internal Affairs tries to figure out what in the world is going on. Getting your gun stolen by a man slashing tires is not an easy thing to do!
Back in October Ambrosio made headlines (if not by name) when he had his gun stolen from him near Riverside Park and West 91st Street. He said he had tried to stop a man slashing tires, then they got into a fight, Ambrosio's gun went off and the perp took it and ran. Police eventually recovered the gun, but not the perp.
But it turns out that wasn't the only time Ambrosio, who lives with his parents in Pelham and joined the force in 2005, had an odd experience in the area. On September 27 he says he saw two men robbing a woman at the same place and at roughly the same time (10:35 p.m.). "He said when he confronted the robbers, one of the men allegedly struck him from behind with a blunt object."
Apparently something in one (or, let's all be honest here, both) of Ambrosio's stories didn't quite add up and IAB is now investigating. In the meantime the NYPD has not answered our request for comment.
When DNAinfo got in touch with some of the officers that Ambrosio works with in the Bronx they called him a "great guy" who cracks jokes, but noted that the officer was frequently sick and often was assigned to answer phones. Not only had he once appeared to have broken an arm, he also at one point contracted swine flu. The jokes, they write themselves.
Tagged
benjamin ambrosio
gun
manhattan
nypd
off duty cop
riverside park
Upper West Side
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Garth Johnston
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