A bizarre crime on an Upper East Side street corner had cops searching for a barefoot masked man, wanted in a violent robbery that left a teenager hospitalized Friday night, witnesses and police told Upper East Site.
Investigators say it was just after 9:15 pm when a stranger in his 20s — who witnesses tell Upper East Site was barefoot and wearing a ski mask — approached a 16-year-old boy at the southwest corner of East 82nd Street and Lexington Avenue.
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According to police, suspect started shoving the teen, pushing him multiple times until the boy fell hard on the sidewalk, bloodying his mouth and leaving drops dotting the sidewalk across the street on the UES block’s northwest corner. One man who saw what happened told Upper East Site the suspect also punched the teen.
“He meant business,” the shaken-up eyewitness told Upper East Site after speaking with police at the crime scene, “He was fucking mental. He was out for trouble.”
The masked suspect stole the kid’s cell phone during the attack; however, detectives say the teenager was able to grab it back during a scuffle with the violent thief.
The barefoot attacker escaped before police arrived. Paramedics took the 16-year-old victim to Weill Cornell Medical Center here on the Upper East Side for medical care.
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According to NYPD crime reporting data, the number of robberies on the Upper East Side has fallen nearly 25% through May 7th, a considerable decrease from the same period in 2022. However, felony assaults — such as violent attacks resulting in injuries that require a trip to the hospital — have spiked more than 28% this year.
If you recognize the suspect in Friday night’s assault and robbery or have any information that could help investigators, please call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477.
