Fox News NYPD ride-along showcases surge in migrant crime

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Stolen NYC scooters, mopeds contribute to crime spike

Fox News’ Alexis McAdams reports alongside the NYPD to reveal violent street robberies on scooters linked to illegal immigrants.

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Fox News hit the streets with the NYPD to see how the department is tackling crime trends linked to the migrant surge.

The exclusive ride-along comes just days after two NYPD officers were allegedly shot by a teen migrant who was out riding a stolen scooter.

"It’s going to be one of those nights," says NYPD Assistant Commissioner Kaz Daughtry.

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Fox News cameras were rolling as we saw what the department's Community Response Team deals with on a nightly basis. The CRT team hit the Queens area, patrolling the neighborhood officers call a hot spot.

"So, we have only been out for 10 minutes, and we already have a guy driving a stolen moped. That is how it starts. Then, he could commit a crime using that stolen moped," says Chief of Patrol John Chell.

Mopeds outside the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City Aug. 14, 2023, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Investigators found guns, drugs and a man they say is a repeat offender with 49 arrests. Police say he is just one example of the revolving door of justice in New York City.

"This guy has been arrested 49 times and for grand theft auto several times. He is a car thief. Bring him in. Book him," Daughtry said.

He told Fox News police see cases like this all the time.

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"Why is this person out on a stolen bike for the second time in two weeks? Arrested by the same officer," Chell said.

Throughout the night, officers are targeting illegal mopeds and stolen scooters, taking dozens off the streets.

"We are seeing a huge uptick in crimes committed on scooters," said Daughtry.

According to the NYPD, armed migrant moped crews have been connected to dozens of violent street robberies.

After police and city leaders announced enhanced enforcement against illegal vehicles, two bulldozers flattened rows of seized illegal mopeds and scooters. (FOX5 New York WNYW)

"Right now, we are at 13,000 seizures. We are on record pace for 30,000 and, over the past two years, 41,000. it is a quality-of-life issue and a crime issue," Chell said.

Police say the stolen mopeds are just one example of crime linked to the ongoing migrant surge. This year, the NYPD arrested two armed Venezuelan migrants allegedly part of a migrant moped gang linked to more than 100 robberies across the Big Apple.

"We had … two Venezuelan migrants committing 112 chain snatches and robberies," said Daughtry.

Migrants sleep outside the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan July 31, 2023. Asylum seekers are camping outside the Roosevelt Hotel because the Manhattan relief center is at capacity.  (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

"Two hundred thousand migrants have come to NYC, and a small portion do not come for the American dream. They prey on New Yorkers," Chell said. 

The crackdown comes just days after two NYPD officers were allegedly shot by a migrant on a stolen moped. The suspected gang member allegedly shot one officer in the chest. Body armor saved his life.  

"The migrant had on a fanny pack or, like, a crossbody bag. He fired through the bag, and the cop was hit in his chest. It struck the officer at point-blank range in his vest," said Daughtry.

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As the officers recover, the NYPD’s work continues. Officers are on pace for a record-setting number of stolen scooter and illegal moped seizures this year, which have played an integral role in fueling the city's crime epidemic.