Teen arrested for mugging counter-terror chief's son in Central Park

Suspected robber charged with robbery, criminal possession

A 17-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday in connection with the robbery of NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller's 13-year-old son.

Mr Miller's son was robbed near Central Park on Monday afternoon.

The teenager's wallet and cell phone were stolen by the older boy. According to police reports, the 17-year-old was riding a Citi Bike at the time of the robbery.

Mr Miller's son had just gotten off a bus when the older teenager approached him on the Citi Bike and robbed him. Police later released a surveillance video image of the suspect.

The 13-year-old was not harmed in the robbery.

The alleged robber was also charged with criminal possession of stolen property connected to another robbery on Monday outside a building on Central Park West.

Robberies - including armed robberies - have been on the rise in certain parts of New York City, including in the city's wealthiest neighbourhood, the Upper East Side.

The Manhattan neighbourhood reported 27 robberies over the past four weeks, which accounts for a 286 per cent increase over the same time period last year.

A large number of those who've been robbed on the Upper East Side have been robbed while at gunpoint.

In 2019, there were only four armed robberies reported in the wealthy Manhattan neighbourhood.

While the number of overall thefts in the city is on the downturn, crime data suggests armed robberies in wealthier parts of the city are on the rise.

In SoHo and Tribeca, police claim robberies are up 175 per cent in July compared to the same time last year. West Village has seen a 50 per cent spike and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, saw a 40 per cent spike.