Last Updated on July 5, 2022
An aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams was robbed at gunpoint in Brooklyn while scouting a location for a planned visit. The shocking, broad daylight robbery took place even after the aide identified himself as a high-ranking city employee, The New York Post reported.
“You don’t want to do this. I work for the mayor,” he reportedly told the two robbers. This was not successful, as one of the men immediately raised his shirt to display a pistol.
The incident began when the victim — Manhattan resident Christopher Baugh, 33 — refused to turn over his wallet and cellphone, telling the robbers, “Get out of my way,” cops said. One of the two then tripped him from behind while the other pushed him to the ground.
They then proceeded to run his pockets and made off with his city-issued wallet.
The two then fled the scene and made off with five of Baugh’s credit cards. One of the suspects — described as a black male wearing a blue and white sweatshirt — escaped on a Citi Bike, The New York Post reported. The other suspect was described as a black male wearing sunglasses and a blue mask.
Baugh was hired as a special assistant by former Mayor Bill de Blasio in May 2021, according to city payroll records.
Fabien Levy, who serves as press secretary for Eric Adams, issued a statement on the incident.
“Chris works hard for the city every day, and he deserves to be safe while conducting his job, just like every other New Yorker,” Levy said. “Public safety has been Mayor Adams’ top priority since day one and that is why the NYPD is working diligently every day to reduce crime.”
“As the mayor said today, he wants results as quickly as possible, and while we have seen progress over the last few months — taking more than 3,000 guns off the streets and reducing shootings and homicides by double digits — there is no overnight fix.”
The brazen robbery comes as New York City continues to experience a massive spike in crime. As of June 26, major crimes across the five boroughs were up 37.8% this year compared to the same period in 2021, with robberies rising an even higher 39.4 %, according to official NYPD CompStat data.
