Forcible Touching on East Harlem Bus; Two Killers Sentenced for 2023 Slaying

Fast, free buses may, or may not, become reality. Meanwhile, only an estimated 48 percent of bus riders pay their bus fare, and NYPD is asking for help identifying the individual wanted in connection with a sexual abuse incident that occurred on a bus within the confines of the 25th Precinct. Details are as follows:

On Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, at approximately 3:45 p.m., a 45-year-old female victim was aboard an M35 MTA bus approaching the intersection of Second Avenue and East 124th Street when an unidentified individual approached her from behind and pressed his groin against her buttocks over her clothing. The man exited the bus and fled on foot. There were no injuries reported as a result of this incident.

The suspect is described as a male with medium complexion. He was last seen wearing a blue/white Polo jacket with an American flag chest patch; sunglasses with a tag still attached; black cargo pants, and brown shoes.

The M35 bus stop at Second Avenue and East 124th is sited near the intersection’s southwest corner, in front of some old tenements. Opposite the bus stop stands the Wagner Houses NYCHA projects.

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 Crimestoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/,or on X @NYPDTips.

Two East Harlem Killers Sentenced for 2023 Slaying

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. recently announced the sentencings of Xavier Baez, 25, to 16 years and William Cartagena, 21, to 22 years-to-life in state prison for shooting and killing 34-year-old Akebulon Reeves in East Harlem in September 2023. Baez pleaded guilty to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree on Sept. 16, 2025. Cartagena pleaded guilty to one count of Murder in the Second Degree the next day.

A contemporary Daily News article about the killing, headlined “From a birthday to a funeral: Family mourns Harlem man gunned down near nabe where he celebrated daughter’s first,” featured a photo of Reeves with his baby girl.

As admitted in the defendants’ guilty pleas, and as alleged in court documents and statements made on the record, on Sept. 13, 2023, Reeves was standing with several others in front of a building near East 119th Street and Third Avenue. At approximately 10:05 a.m., Baez, who was driving a black motorized scooter, and Cartagena, who was sitting behind him, arrived in the vicinity. As the defendants drove by the scene, Cartagena hopped off the scooter, approached the group of individuals and fired several shots at Reeves, striking him several times, including in the chest and torso. He was eventually transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Cartagena hopped back on the scooter, and the defendants fled the scene, heading to northern Central Park. At the park, the defendants removed their hoodies before fleeing to the Bronx. Hours later, Baez removed the hoodies from the storage compartment of the scooter. Baez and Cartagena were both arrested about a week later, on Sept. 20, 2023.