Attempted Robbery by E-Biker; Indonesian War Shields Returned

A 57-year-old female victim was approached by an unidentified male on an electric bicycle on July 2 at approximately 3pm, in front of 448 E. 119th St. in East Harlem.

The suspect struck the victim with the e-bike and attempted to remove her purse. The victim sustained multiple lacerations and fractures about the body. EMS responded and transported the victim to nearby NYC Health and Hospitals / Lincoln in Mott Haven, the Bronx, in stable condition.

The individual fled on an e-bike, traveling westbound on East 119th Street toward First Avenue.

The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a multicolored cap, a white T-shirt, black shorts, and black sneakers.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential

Bragg Returns Antiquities to Indonesia

Three antiquities were returned to the people of Indonesia, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on July 8, including a war shield allegedly stolen from the people of South Papua.

The objects were recovered pursuant to criminal investigations into multiple antiquities-trafficking networks, including those run by alleged trafficker Subhash Kapoor, owner of the now-closed Art of the Past gallery at 1242 Madison Ave.

The war shield from the Asmat was carved from a single mangrove plank. The shields are named after an ancestor important to the shield’s owner. This shield is carved in the form of a flying fox, one of the world’s largest bat species and an important symbol connected to head-hunting in Asmat culture.

A second object was a Klebit Bok (shield) was made by the Kayan Dayak people of central Borneo. It is intricately painted in the distinctive red and black of Kayan shields.

“I am grateful to the hard work of our prosecutors and investigators to track down these objects and return them to where they belong,” Bragg said. “It speaks to the extraordinary collaboration and partnership our Office has with countries all across the world who are seeking to reclaim their stolen cultural heritage,” he said.

“My highest appreciation to New York County District Attorney’s Office and their team for their dedication and hard work in upholding justice and law, so that these cultural objects can be returned to its rightful owner, the Indonesian people,” said Winanto Adi, consul general of Indonesia.