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Saudi tourists held at gunpoint in NYC robbery near Central Park: NYPD
By Ronn Blitzer
Published August 15, 2022
Two tourists from Saudi Arabia were walking in New York City when they were held at gunpoint by multiple suspects, police said according to local reports.
The out-of-towners were in Manhattan just outside Central Park on East 59th Street at the time, which was approximately 4:30 a.m.
According to local ABC 7, the suspects ran off with one of the tourists' cell phones.
According to the New York Post, the tourist whose phone was stolen had been talking with two other men about returning to their hotel when the incident took place.
No injuries were reported.
NYPD records show there have been 10,294 robberies across the five boroughs in 2022 so far. This is an increase of 39.8% since last year. July saw the most robberies with 1,747. So far, there have been just 383 robberies in August.
Of the crimes designated as the seven "major felony offenses," – murder, rape, burglary, felony assault, grand larceny, and grand larceny auto – only murder numbers have gone down since a year ago, a reduction of 8.1% compared to 2021. All six other offenses have spiked in 2022, with grand larceny up the most at a 48.3% increase.
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Rising crime rates have been blamed in part on New York's lax bail laws, in which most defendants accused of most offenses must be released on their own recognizance instead of having bail set.
Paul DiGiacomo, president of the New York City's Detectives' Endowment Association, told Fox News in July that criminals feel empowered and have no fear of consequences. DiGiacomo said that in his 40-year career with the department, he has "never seen it as bad as it is now."
https://www.foxnews.com/us/saudi-tourists-held-gunpoint-nyc-robbery-near-central-park-nypd