Warning Issued To Bicyclists In NYC
09-04-13, 07:03 AM
#1
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Warning Issued To Bicyclists In NYC
Gang Attacking Riders Along The Hudson
https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/09/...ng-the-hudson/
if you dont know how to handle yourself and lack street smarts, steer clear
https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/09/...ng-the-hudson/
if you dont know how to handle yourself and lack street smarts, steer clear
09-04-13, 07:13 AM
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Here are two relevant posts in my local northern New Jersey craigslist from someone who was actually assaulted and mugged:
That is just a ******y comment to make.
From the article you posted, as it seems you didn't read it:
Are you really on defense for being clotheslined from a rope when you cycle? I know I have a 800 lumen light, but that it only lasts 2 hours on maximum, so I like it lower it to 200 lumen whenever I can to save battery. I think alot of us could be knocked off and beaten in those circumstances.
No one rides expecting elaborate ambushes like that. I doubt you even read that article or you are extremely egoistic and unrealistic in thinking that because you have street smarts you are like Superman and immune from multiple attackers who pick their location and set up a trap like that.
Originally Posted by Craigslist poster
Attacked and mugged on NYC Greenway (Fort Lee)
***TO ALL NEW JERSEY BIKE RIDERS WHO HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED BY BIKE THIEVES IN NEW YORK*** Sept. 1, 2013
On August 24th, 2013 I was mugged, beaten, robbed and left for dead by three Hispanic males on NYC's Greenway bike path (approximately 164th St.) while riding back home to NEW JERSEY.
THEY ARE SPECIFICALLY TARGETING OUT-OF-TOWN NEW JERSEY BIKE RIDERS AND I AM LOOKING FOR OTHER VICTIMS TO COME FORWARD AS I AM IN THE PROCESS OF HIRING AN ATTORNEY TO FILE A LAW SUIT AGAINST NYC. THIS EPIDEMIC IN NY AGAINST NEW JERSEY BIKE RIDERS ARE BEING IGNORED BY THE NY MEDIA, NYPD AND MIKE BLOOMBERG'S OFFICE WHICH IS WHY I AM POSTING THIS AD. PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP IF YOU WERE A VICTIM OR HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO KEEP US BIKE RIDERS SAFE IN THE CITY.
TO ALL NJ BIKE RIDERS (FORT LEE)
*********TO ALL NJ BIKE RIDERS*********** Sept. 3, 2013
DON CHAMPION OF CBS NEW IS AIRING THE STORY OF MY ATTACK ON THE NYC GREENWAY BIKE PATH (APPROXIMATELY 163THST.) AND HOW THEY ARE TARGETING NJ BIKE RIDERS HEADING BACK HOME TO NJ. PLEASE WATCH IF YOU CAN TONIGHT AT 6:00 PM OR CHECK OUT CBS.COM
***FYI: ANOTHER NJ BIKE RIDER WAS ATTACKED (BY THREE HISPANIC MALES JUST LIKE I WAS) THIS PAST THURSDAY NIGHT ON THE NYC GREEWNWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 173RD. ST. JUST NORTH OF WHERE I WAS ATTACKED. THIS STORY HAS NOT BEEN MADE PUBLIC YET BY THE NYPD. THEY SEEM TO BE TARGETING SINGLE RIDERS ON HIGHER END ROAD BIKES HEADING BACK TO NJ AND NYPD THINKS ITS THE SAME TEAM THAT ATTACKED ME. P[LEASE WATCH THE NEW COVERAGE IF YOU CAN AN
***TO ALL NEW JERSEY BIKE RIDERS WHO HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED BY BIKE THIEVES IN NEW YORK*** Sept. 1, 2013
On August 24th, 2013 I was mugged, beaten, robbed and left for dead by three Hispanic males on NYC's Greenway bike path (approximately 164th St.) while riding back home to NEW JERSEY.
THEY ARE SPECIFICALLY TARGETING OUT-OF-TOWN NEW JERSEY BIKE RIDERS AND I AM LOOKING FOR OTHER VICTIMS TO COME FORWARD AS I AM IN THE PROCESS OF HIRING AN ATTORNEY TO FILE A LAW SUIT AGAINST NYC. THIS EPIDEMIC IN NY AGAINST NEW JERSEY BIKE RIDERS ARE BEING IGNORED BY THE NY MEDIA, NYPD AND MIKE BLOOMBERG'S OFFICE WHICH IS WHY I AM POSTING THIS AD. PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP IF YOU WERE A VICTIM OR HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO KEEP US BIKE RIDERS SAFE IN THE CITY.
TO ALL NJ BIKE RIDERS (FORT LEE)
*********TO ALL NJ BIKE RIDERS*********** Sept. 3, 2013
DON CHAMPION OF CBS NEW IS AIRING THE STORY OF MY ATTACK ON THE NYC GREENWAY BIKE PATH (APPROXIMATELY 163THST.) AND HOW THEY ARE TARGETING NJ BIKE RIDERS HEADING BACK HOME TO NJ. PLEASE WATCH IF YOU CAN TONIGHT AT 6:00 PM OR CHECK OUT CBS.COM
***FYI: ANOTHER NJ BIKE RIDER WAS ATTACKED (BY THREE HISPANIC MALES JUST LIKE I WAS) THIS PAST THURSDAY NIGHT ON THE NYC GREEWNWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 173RD. ST. JUST NORTH OF WHERE I WAS ATTACKED. THIS STORY HAS NOT BEEN MADE PUBLIC YET BY THE NYPD. THEY SEEM TO BE TARGETING SINGLE RIDERS ON HIGHER END ROAD BIKES HEADING BACK TO NJ AND NYPD THINKS ITS THE SAME TEAM THAT ATTACKED ME. P[LEASE WATCH THE NEW COVERAGE IF YOU CAN AN
From the article you posted, as it seems you didn't read it:
Originally Posted by CBS New York
Warning Issued To Bicyclists In NYC: Gang Attacking Riders Along The Hudson
...
“The rope I saw at the last second, but it was too late. I was already clotheslined,” Cho said.
Moments later, Cho said he was punched with brass knuckles and beaten. ...
...
“The lighting is absolutely dismal and in this section you’re in pitch dark and really it’s a criminal’s paradise,” Cho said.
... What’s even more troubling is that people Champion caught up with say they rarely see police in the area.
“If something happens, no one can see you. You could be there for maybe a couple of days in the brush and no one would find you,” Susan Hurse said.
...
...
“The rope I saw at the last second, but it was too late. I was already clotheslined,” Cho said.
Moments later, Cho said he was punched with brass knuckles and beaten. ...
...
“The lighting is absolutely dismal and in this section you’re in pitch dark and really it’s a criminal’s paradise,” Cho said.
... What’s even more troubling is that people Champion caught up with say they rarely see police in the area.
“If something happens, no one can see you. You could be there for maybe a couple of days in the brush and no one would find you,” Susan Hurse said.
...
No one rides expecting elaborate ambushes like that. I doubt you even read that article or you are extremely egoistic and unrealistic in thinking that because you have street smarts you are like Superman and immune from multiple attackers who pick their location and set up a trap like that.
Last edited by Thrasymachus; 09-04-13 at 07:25 AM.
09-04-13, 07:15 AM
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might want to repost in advocacy and safety or have a MOD move it? the northeast forum doesn't get as many viewers
09-04-13, 07:25 AM
#4
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That is just a ******y comment to make.
From the article you posted, as it seems you didn't read it:
Are you really on defense for being clotheslined from a rope when you cycle? I know I have a 800 lumen light, but that it only lasts 2 hours on maximum, so I like it lower it to 200 watts whenever I can to save battery. I think alot of us could be knocked off and beaten in those circumstances.
No one rides expecting elaborate ambushes like that, I doubt you even read that article or you are extremely egoistic and unrealistic in thinking that because you have street smarts you are like Superman and immune from multiple attackers who pick their location and set up a trap like that.
From the article you posted, as it seems you didn't read it:
Are you really on defense for being clotheslined from a rope when you cycle? I know I have a 800 lumen light, but that it only lasts 2 hours on maximum, so I like it lower it to 200 watts whenever I can to save battery. I think alot of us could be knocked off and beaten in those circumstances.
No one rides expecting elaborate ambushes like that, I doubt you even read that article or you are extremely egoistic and unrealistic in thinking that because you have street smarts you are like Superman and immune from multiple attackers who pick their location and set up a trap like that.
09-04-13, 07:26 AM
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09-04-13, 07:29 AM
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@anthonybkny:
What, you can not explain to us who are not "Brooklyn tough", how street smarts can avoid multiple attackers who cherry-pick their location?
Please explain it to us plebians who should "steer clear" of NYC according to you.
What, you can not explain to us who are not "Brooklyn tough", how street smarts can avoid multiple attackers who cherry-pick their location?
Please explain it to us plebians who should "steer clear" of NYC according to you.
09-04-13, 07:45 AM
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Do cyclists from New Jersey look that much different from New York cyclists that they can target the former?
09-04-13, 07:52 AM
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@indyfabz:
The poster on the Craigslist ad I quoted is from Fort Lee, NJ which is very close to New York City. I am not familiar with the local streets that much, because I live an hour from NYC(by car) and don't travel there much. I think he is implying they target a route that riders from New Jersey frequent to get into and/or out of NYC.
The poster on the Craigslist ad I quoted is from Fort Lee, NJ which is very close to New York City. I am not familiar with the local streets that much, because I live an hour from NYC(by car) and don't travel there much. I think he is implying they target a route that riders from New Jersey frequent to get into and/or out of NYC.
09-04-13, 11:42 AM
#9
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This is horrible. Thanks to OP for bringing this to our attention. The victim was lucky to be alive. All those cameras and pepper-sprays could not have helped in such situations. We all want to see the around-the-Manhattan-Island bike path complete, but it's a question whether we'll be able to ride on every part of it safely from criminals, even if we make it safe from vehicles drivers.
09-05-13, 10:04 PM
#10
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I avoided an attack around the same time.I was riding just around where the attack took place and saw ahead of me a few thugs trying to block the path with their bikes in front of me.I didn't slow down and flew through a hole in their blockade without looking back.I was curious if there were other incidents and now I know.Perhaps because of my escape they invented the clothesline method because my incident took place a few days before.I have since ridden that route at night with no incidents but after hearing about this attack I think I'll take the streets above 125th st.
09-06-13, 07:26 AM
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Eight or ten years ago I was riding the Greenway. About even with the lower 100's, I was 100 yards behind another rider when some kids on the other side of a chain link fence started shouting and throwing cans and rocks at him. Looked like everything missed him, and lucky for me the kids were out of ammo when I rode by a few seconds later.
09-06-13, 08:02 AM
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Just another reason to have a concealed weapon. I bet they wouldn't pull this crap again if they feared getting shot (which they probably already are afraid of).
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09-06-13, 11:06 AM
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09-06-13, 01:08 PM
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if I need a gun or knife to ride a bike in that area, then I wouldn't ride a bike in that area
09-06-13, 02:08 PM
#15
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Did the Greenway already existed back then?
More scary would be the thugs have guns.
More scary would be the thugs have guns.
09-06-13, 05:17 PM
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40 years ago when I was a boy and growing up in Washington Heights it was common knowledge that the area near the river and more precisely the lighthouse belonged to the gangs.People didn't venture down there.Too dangerous.After living abroad for 20 years and returning to New York 7 years ago I was delighted to discover that the riverside had been reclaimed by the citizenry and turned into a shangri- la for bikers and all New Yorkers.Living in Inwood now I do not take lightly this return to the middle ages and would be happy to participate in any plan to reclaim the greenway.Any ideas?Patrols?
09-06-13, 06:18 PM
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09-06-13, 08:52 PM
#19
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Until now, this seemed to be a "grown-up" forum. Why did such a horrible series of incidents trigger so many childish posts?
Sue NYC because its thugs are targeting New Jersey riders? Really?
Sue NYC because its thugs are targeting New Jersey riders? Really?
09-07-13, 03:11 PM
#20
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The fact that the two victims that we have heard from were both from New Jersey is just a coincidence. There is no way that anybody can be "targeting" riders from New Jersey -- I'm pretty sure that these riders weren't doing the old Joe Piscopo "I'm from Joisey; are you from Joisey?" bit.
Anyway, if the lighting isn't good at night on that section of the Greenway, then all riders would be better served taking the regular streets. There is a bike lane on St. Nicholas Ave. from where it crosses Broadway at 168th St. all the way down to where it hits 7th Ave. at 116th St. And upper Broadway itself (though it doesn't have a bike lane) is a fine street to ride on.
The best of all is Riverside Drive: if you get on at 165th St., then it's a great, mostly downhill ride all the way to that avenue's end at 72nd St. (But I would do that one only going south, because of the hill.)
All of these options are better than the Greenway at any time of day, and certainly at night if lighting is a problem.
Anyway, if the lighting isn't good at night on that section of the Greenway, then all riders would be better served taking the regular streets. There is a bike lane on St. Nicholas Ave. from where it crosses Broadway at 168th St. all the way down to where it hits 7th Ave. at 116th St. And upper Broadway itself (though it doesn't have a bike lane) is a fine street to ride on.
The best of all is Riverside Drive: if you get on at 165th St., then it's a great, mostly downhill ride all the way to that avenue's end at 72nd St. (But I would do that one only going south, because of the hill.)
All of these options are better than the Greenway at any time of day, and certainly at night if lighting is a problem.
09-07-13, 03:45 PM
#21
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THe hill north on 165th to Ft Washington is still easier than the hill on the greenway. To avoid it one could take 155th to The other Riverside, then 162 to Ft Washington. There are still hill and not sure if that way is safe at night.
09-08-13, 04:25 PM
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There are some deserted stretches in that area.
There was a time when I would switch to Riverside Drive but once the entire Greenway was finished, I stayed on it to the GW.
I may go back to Riverside Drive....north and south.
There was a time when I would switch to Riverside Drive but once the entire Greenway was finished, I stayed on it to the GW.
I may go back to Riverside Drive....north and south.
09-11-13, 05:44 PM
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I've ridden this route before. Luckily i'm from the NY side and I usually ride with a group or posse. Hehe. We are usually rolling 6-7 riders. Guess that's a good thing. 
09-12-13, 09:45 PM
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This is sobering. I go up to Inwood almost weekly. I often go up via the Greenway, but when I come down at around 11pm, I take the streets, Broadway and St. Nicholas, eventually through Central Park. I'm usually not one to worry about that sort of thing, but I thought better of taking the Greenway after dark. I thought it was just an excess of caution, but I guess now I know better. The Greenway during the day is fine, but I can see how that stretch would be dark, narrow, and isolated. If something goes wrong, there's no way out, and no one can hear you scream.
I've taken the Greenway down from 125th St. a couple of times, and I don't think I'll do that again. The first part is just unpleasant. I didn't feel unsafe, but it's dark and hard to see, even with headlights (and bicycles coming the other way without headlights appearing out of nowhere don't help), and going the other way, headlights from the highway are right in your face. And if someone decided to f*** with you, there's nowhere to go and no one to help. Once you get to Riverside Park, it's fine.
Once it starts to get dark by 6pm (right about now I suppose), I guess I'll have to find a new route up to Inwood. My other route takes me along the Harlem River Drive, but I think that's best avoided after dark too.
I've taken the Greenway down from 125th St. a couple of times, and I don't think I'll do that again. The first part is just unpleasant. I didn't feel unsafe, but it's dark and hard to see, even with headlights (and bicycles coming the other way without headlights appearing out of nowhere don't help), and going the other way, headlights from the highway are right in your face. And if someone decided to f*** with you, there's nowhere to go and no one to help. Once you get to Riverside Park, it's fine.
Once it starts to get dark by 6pm (right about now I suppose), I guess I'll have to find a new route up to Inwood. My other route takes me along the Harlem River Drive, but I think that's best avoided after dark too.
Last edited by wilfried; 09-12-13 at 09:49 PM.
09-13-13, 04:55 AM
#25
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I had stopped thinking that ANY place was unsafe in the city, but I guess not. I ride the greenway all the time, but only once late enough that I needed lights, and it was still not fully dark. It didn't feel at all threatening.
For that matter, I've only started riding at night in the last year when I discovered high powered LED lighting!
For that matter, I've only started riding at night in the last year when I discovered high powered LED lighting!