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Off-duty NYPD cop, 48, in critical condition after being mugged by three men in the Bronx

The 18-year veteran, designated to the Central Park precinct, was discovered lying on the pavement bleeding from his left ear, unable to stand or speak

BRONX, NEW YORK CITY: An off-duty NYPD cop was mugged and critically injured while jogging in the Bronx on Tuesday, August 23. According to police and sources, the 48-year-old officer was running near 823 Olmstead Avenue when he was attacked by three men about 10:30 am in a horrific crime that appears to be a part of a recent spate of robberies in the city.

According to sources, one of the suspects smacked the cop in the head, knocking him unconscious. The cop, an 18-year veteran assigned to the Central Park precinct, was discovered lying on the sidewalk bleeding from his left ear and unable to stand or speak, The New York Post reported. The cop was not identified and was taken to Jacobi Medical Center as a John Doe with a fractured skull and bleeding in his brain, according to sources.

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Later the same night, the NYPD learned that he was one of the best in the city. Sources said that he was critical but in stable condition. The perpetrators fled in a black Honda sedan, and no arrests have been made. The suspects took the officer's cell phone, keys, and wallet, which contained several forms of identification as well as his debit and credit cards, according to police.

A witness to the mugging was unwilling to cooperate with investigators. Mayor Eric Adams visited the injured cop at the hospital. President of the Police Benevolent Association Patrick Lynch vowed that the department would bring the "cowards" who attacked the cop to justice. “Make no mistake: we will find them. But we will need the rest of the justice system to step up and do its job, too,” said Lynch. Multiple screenshots of CCTV footage of previous robberies were shared by NYPD. 

Police said the cop’s mugging matched a pattern of 19 robberies in the city since August 1. The first two occurred in Queens, while the others happened in the Bronx, including six on Monday, August 22. In the last two robberies before Tuesday’s mugging, a 36-year-old man was approached by a group of three young men in front of 2353 Quimby Avenue on Monday, August 22 morning.

One of the robbers flashed a knife while the others snatched the victim’s cell phone and wallet, which contained ID documents and about $40 in cash, police said. As he attempted to flee, the men slashed at the victim. EMS arrived on the scene and treated him. Screenshots of the surveillance video released by the NYPD show three males exiting a black Honda double parked on a street and walking towards the victim.

The suspects are then seen chasing the victim down the street, past their getaway car, in the video. According to the statistics, the precinct has witnessed 461 robberies as of Sunday, August 21, an increase from 271 in the same period in 2021 — a 70% increase.