Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
A Group Of Violent Teens Is Terrorizing The Upper West Side
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 12, 2015
Modified Feb 12, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 12, 2015
Modified Feb 12, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
There is nothing scarier than teenagers running amok in NYC (or elsewhere). And violence perpetrated by minors is no joke: teen gangs are responsible for about 40 percent of all city shootings. Now police are looking for a group of teens who have been connected with at least five incidents of assault over the last couple weeks.
Cops say the first incident happened on Thursday January 22nd, when the teens put a 15-year-old male into a chokehold and demanded his money and phone. They then attacked three more teenagers over the next week, stealing at least one more phone. Then this past Saturday, they moved onto adults, attacking a 39-year-old newsstand worker and stealing several items.
Most of the incident happened around West 93rd Street and Columbus area. Here are the details from the NYPD:
Thursday, January 22, 2015, 1600 hours, the victim, a 15-year-old male, was walking in front of 67 West 107 Street when the suspects approached him from behind, put him in a choke hold and demanded his money and phone. The suspects then removed the victim's cell phone and fled.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 1425 hours, the victim, a 13-year-old male, was walking in front of 647 Columbus Avenue when the suspects approached him, punched the him in the face, and removed his phone and an undetermined amount of money.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015, 0715 hours, the victim, a 13-year-old male, was walking in the vicinity of West 93 Street and Columbus Avenue when the suspects approached him, grabbed his neck and demanded his cell phone. The victim struggled with the suspects who then fled empty handed.
Friday, February 6, 2015, at 1530 hours, the victim, a 13-year-old male, was in front of 201 West 93 Street when the suspects approached him and asked him if he had anything in his pockets. The victim ignored the suspects who in turn punched him and then fled the location.
Saturday, February 7, 2015, 1850 hours, the victim, a 39-year-old male, was working at his newsstand at corner of Broadway and West 93 Street when of the suspects approached him and purchased a candy bar. The other suspects then began removing items from the shelves and leaving. When the victim told the suspects to put the items back, the suspects assaulted the victim and then fled the location. The victim refused medical attention on scene.
Police add that all the suspects are all males ranging in age from 13 to 17.
Anyone with information in regards to any of these incidents is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
Tagged
manhattan
nypd
police
teens
Upper West Side
uws
original
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Gatorade recall affects drinks sold in New York and New Jersey
More than 122,000 cases are being recalled over undeclared food dyes.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 4:36 p.m. ET
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
News
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
NYPD detective forced to retire after false statements in Brooklyn investigation
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani faces pressure to forge ahead with plan to fix polluting South Bronx market
By
Elizabeth Kim
Dominican man who shot border patrol officer in NYC sentenced to 15 years in prison
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .