NEW YORK, NY — Fox News went on the streets with the NYPD to see how the department is addressing crime trends linked to a surge in immigrants.
This exclusive ride-along comes just days after two NYPD officers were shot and killed by an immigrant teenager who was riding a stolen scooter.
“It’s going to be one of those nights,” said NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry.
More than 200 mopeds and scooters seized in New York City crackdown on illegal vehicles
Fox News cameras were rolling as we watched the police department’s Community Response Teams respond nightly to police brutality, as they descended on Queens and patrolled neighborhoods that officers call hot spots.
“We’ve only been on scene for 10 minutes and we already have a guy driving a stolen moped, and that’s it,” said Patrolman John Chell. “And that could be the start of him using that stolen moped to commit a crime.”
A moped parked outside the Roosevelt Hotel on August 14, 2023 in New York City. (Spencer Pratt/Getty Images)
Investigators found guns, drugs and a man who police say is a repeat offender with 49 arrests who they say is just one example of the upheaval in New York City’s justice system.
“This guy’s been arrested 49 times, he’s been arrested several times for auto theft. He’s a car thief. Take him in and arrest him,” Daughtry said.
He told Fox News that police see such incidents all the time.
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““Why is this individual out and about on a stolen bike twice in two weeks, only to be arrested by the same officer,” Chell said.
Officers targeted illegal mopeds and stolen scooters throughout the night, seizing dozens from the streets.
“We’ve seen a surge in crime occurring on scooters,” Daughtry said.
New York Police say armed immigrant moped squads have been responsible for dozens of violent street robberies.
Two bulldozers flattened a row of seized illegal mopeds and scooters after police and city leaders announced an intensified crackdown on illegal vehicles. (FOX5 New York WNYW)
“Right now we’re at 13,000 seizures. We’re on pace to seize 30,000, which is a record, and 41,000 in the last two years. This is a quality of life issue and it’s a crime issue,” Chell said.
The stolen mopeds are just one example of an ongoing rise in immigration-related crimes, police said. This year, the NYPD arrested two armed Venezuelan migrants who they said were part of a migrant moped gang that was linked to more than 100 robberies in New York City.
“Two Venezuelan migrants committed a total of 112 chain robberies and robberies,” Daughtry said.
Migrants sleep outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on July 31, 2023. Asylum seekers have been camping outside the Roosevelt Hotel because Manhattan relief centers are full. (Luis C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“200,000 immigrants have come to New York, but only a fraction of them are here seeking the American Dream. They’re preying on New Yorkers,” Chell said.
The crackdown came just days after two NYPD officers were allegedly shot by an immigrant riding a stolen moped, with the suspected gang member allegedly shooting one officer in the chest – his bulletproof vest saved his life.
“The migrant was carrying a fanny pack or a crossbody bag and the gunfire was fired through the bag, striking the officer in the chest, hitting the officer’s vest at close range,” Daughtry said.
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While officers recover, the NYPD’s operations continue: Officers are on track to seize record numbers of stolen scooters and illegal mopeds this year, which contribute significantly to the city’s crime epidemic.
