Migrants as young as 11 behind Central Park robbery spike: Police forced to deploy drones, beef up patrols

A spate of robberies in the southern end of New York City's Central Park is being blamed on migrants as young as 11 years old living in city-run shelters and the NYPD is now being forced to bolster patrols at the famed park. 

Police have linked around 10 robberies that have taken place inside or along the southern end of the park to a group of up to 12 migrant boys or young men, the NYPD said at a press conference on Wednesday in front of the green space where law enforcement announced dozens of police officers would be deployed to the tourist hotspot to counter the alarming rise. 

"At this point in time, we’re ready to call it, this is a migrant robbery pattern," NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told reporters from in front of the park at Seventh Avenue and West 59th Street. 

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"We think they’re responsible for most of them if not all of them."

The southern end of Central Park runs from Columbus Circle on the southwest of the park to around The Plaza Hotel and Grand Army Plaza on the southeast side, areas which are always teeming with tourists. 

Crime in Central Park has spiked dramatically this year compared to the same period last year with robberies up 200%, felony assaults by about 43%, and major crimes up by 46%, according to NYPD data.

Chell blamed recent muggings as being part of a pattern involving migrant groups. He said they work in groups of eight and 12, as well as in pairs of two.

"There is roughly 10 robberies that fit this pattern. Most of these occurred inside or near the park. We think they are responsible for most, if not all, of them," he said.

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The NYPD says it is now deploying an extra 40 police officers to patrol Central Park every day from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. 

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard said drones will also be deployed to the park to assist police, starting at the end of the month. 

"We’re not going to tolerate crimes at one of the most iconic locations in the world… if you’re a bad guy you should be looking over our shoulder that you know that we’re not playing games," Sheppard said. 

"We are going to get these crimes down and keep Central Park safe."

Half of the suspects arrested for robberies in the southern end of Central Park so far this year are migrants, ABC reports. 

The news comes after an 11-year-old Venezuelan boy was arrested on Tuesday and Chell says police have him on camera using credit cards which were stolen from the southern end of Central Park.

The boy and a 17-year-old boy were both taken into custody hours after they allegedly attacked a straphanger on a Manhattan-bound 7 train in Queens at about 8:40 p.m., the New York Post reports. 

The pair of suspects had a stolen phone with them when they were arrested near the Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter in Midtown Manhattan, the outlet reports citing sources. The victim told the Post that the 11-year-old was the "primary aggressor."

At least 30 robberies have been reported in the park this year, compared to just 10 during the same period in 2023, ABC7 reports. There have also been 10 felony assaults this year compared to just seven last year.