Magic and loss on St. Mark’s Place: Invader’s classic Lou Reed mosaic stolen

Early Monday morning, several residents saw two men removing Invader's nearly 10-year-old Lou Reed mosaic from an upper floor at 110 St. Mark's Place, between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Just after 1 a.m., a resident noticed the men outside with a ladder and caution tape. 

Neighbors inside No. 110 said they were awakened by banging on the exterior wall — then saw one of the men climbing the ladder while the other acted as a spotter.

The residents contacted the 9th Precinct to report the theft. We're told that the landlord of the building hired the French artist for the work, and they may pursue charges. 

Neighbors did some sleuthing afterward and believe one of the suspects is the same man seen last in June 2024 removing another Invader piece above Ralph's Famous Italian Ices at Avenue A and Ninth Street. 

At that time, witnesses also reported two men prying Invader's mosaic tiles from walls around the city.

Invader himself addressed the thefts in an Instagram post last summer:

For the past few weeks, some guys in New York have been destroying my work by trying to rip it off the walls, probably to resell it. Shame on them! Street art belongs to the street, and in my case, once ripped from the walls, it is nothing more than broken, unsigned tiles that you could find in any tile store. They will never be authenticated. Buyers should think twice of what they buy, not only are they being duped but they are also depriving other people of enjoying free art on the street.

The French street artist mentioned that the mosaics probably have little resale value anyway — especially the later ones, which used thinner tiles designed to chip apart if tampered with. Said one EVG reader: "They were chipping away at it so I'm pretty sure it's destroyed."

An array of Invader's mosaics arrived in NYC and the East Village, some in collaboration with the LISA Project, in 2015. A few were immediately vandalized. 

Here's an EVG pic of the Lou Reed art from December 2021...

The search continues for Rhaenyra the Dragon Kitty, who was stolen from an Avenue A shop

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Missing/Stolen Cat signs are up around the neighborhood for Rhaenyra the Dragon Kitty.

As we previously reported, the 4-month-old kitten was taken by a man on Saturday afternoon from MJay Convenience at 44 Avenue A, between Third and Fourth Streets. 

Leads? Call (929) 584-1084. There is a $500 reward for her return.

Rhaenyra the Dragon Kitty stolen from Avenue A shop

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Updated: The search continues

On Saturday afternoon, someone stole Rhaenyra the Dragon Kitty, the 4-month-old "manager" of MJay Convenience at 44 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street. 

Security footage shows the cat being taken around 4:24 p.m. on Sept. 6 while the store was open.

Rhaenyra has lived at the shop since she was just weeks old, often greeting customers from the counter. 

Faisal (below), who owns the store, said he and his co-workers are devastated.

Faisal said he had taken Rhaenyra and his other kitten to his vet on Long Island to make sure they were healthy and up to date on shots. He got the pair from a neighbor; one is his daughter's cat at home, the other became the store's official mascot. 

"I just want my cat back," he said yesterday. "Please, bring the cat back. I don't want to see his face in here ever again," he added, referring to the alleged thief. 

Faisal shared surveillance video with us...

 

August Citizen crime watch

A few reports from August appeared on the Citizen app...  Some are serious; others fall on the lighter side — whether for the wording ("people disputing") or the fact that someone actually went to the trouble of filing a police report. We include these not to poke fun, but to give a fuller picture of what gets logged in the neighborhood...

Reports: Early morning shooting injures 3 outside Lillian Wald Houses

The NYPD is investigating an early-morning shooting outside NYCHA's Lillian Wald Houses on Sixth Street near Avenue D. 

Police and media reports say three men standing outside the complex were hit when someone opened fire around 3:30 a.m.

EMTs took the victims — ages 35, 37 and 41 — to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, where they are expected to recover.

Police have not released a full description of the gunman. Tips can be shared confidentially with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or online. 

Find coverage at: 

• The Post

• CBS 2

• NBC 4

• ABC 7

• PIX11 

• The Daily News

Screengrab via ABC 7/YouTube

Police looking for 3 suspects in Sunday afternoon slashing on Astor Place

Police are looking for three men who they say robbed and slashed another man on Cooper Square at Eighth Street this past Sunday afternoon. 

The 24-year-old victim was standing on the southwest corner of Eighth Street at Cooper Square near Cooper Union when three men grabbed his iPhone from his hand, according to police and published reports. 

When he tried to retrieve the phone, the attackers punched him repeatedly and slashed his left hand.

EMTs treated the victim at the scene before taking him to a hospital, where he was reportedly in stable condition. 

The NYPD released this info about the suspects...

🚨WANTED FOR A ROBBERY: On Sunday, 8/24/2025 at Approx. 3:35 P.M., on the Southwest Corner of Cooper Square and East 8th St. in the Confines of the 9th Precinct, 3 unknown individuals slashed a 24-year-old male and forcibly removed his property. pic.twitter.com/PHdIl58f3X

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) August 25, 2025

Anyone with information that could help the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit tips online. All calls are confidential. 

Top photo via Steven; second photo by William Klayer

July Citizen crime watch

A few reports from July that showed up on the Citizen app...

And further away... and likely coming soon to a streaming service ...

Man sentenced for 2 March 2024 shootings in Tompkins Square Park

Photo from March 16, 2024, by Stacie Joy 

A man who terrorized parkgoers during two daylight shootings in Tompkins Square Park over five days in March 2024 has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. 

The sentence for Waldemar Alverio handed down yesterday in New York Supreme Criminal Court includes five years of post-release supervision, according to Manhattan D.A. Bragg's office. Alverio faced multiple charges, including three counts of An Attempt to Commit the Crime of Murder in the Second Degree and two counts of Assault in the First Degree. 

On March 16, 2024, at 12:45 p.m., two men allegedly chased, punched and kicked Alverio. As they ran off, Alverio unzipped his bag and pulled out a gun, firing at them five times, per court documents. 

Alverio struck one of the two men in the buttocks, fracturing his pelvis and lodging a bullet in his hip. Alverio also shot a bystander, a 53-year-old tourist, fracturing her right hip, which had to be surgically replaced. The D.A.'s office last year said that she would need "months of physical therapy as she learns how to walk again." 

Five days later, on March 21, Alverio returned to Tompkins Square Park just after noon, approached a group in the park, and shot at them five times. While Alverio did not strike anyone on that day, one bullet smashed through a window and into a bedroom in an apartment building across Seventh Street, and another bullet smashed through a window and lodged in a stairwell in a second building on Seventh Street.

Officers from the 7th Precinct recognized Alverio from a wanted flyer and arrested him on Delancey Street on March 26, 2024. 

"Waldemar Alverio is facing accountability for a pair of shootings in Tompkins Square Park that injured two and threatened the safety of many other bystanders. Parks must be safe havens for Manhattanites to gather and spend time with their friends and family, and nobody should have to worry they will be struck by a bullet in the middle of the day," Bragg said in a statement. "Combatting gun violence remains my top priority, and we will continue to prosecute those who use illegal firearms, while also making investments in our communities to address the root causes of shootings." 

Updating: Report of a fatal shooting at Tom & Jerry's on Elizabeth Street

Updated with reader photos from this morning 

The post has been updated as new information has become available

Updated 3/11: Tom & Jerry's has started a crowdfunding campaign for the victim, Anton Albert. Story here. Contrary to earlier reports, Albert was not a bar employee.

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A 39-year-old man was reportedly shot and killed early this morning inside Tom & Jerry's on Elizabeth Street near Houston. 

The Daily News reports that the victim was a bouncer inside the bar. SILive reports that the victim, Anton Albert, lived on Staten Island. 

An updated version of the story claims that "the shooter was drunk and had just been ejected from the bar when the bullets started flying."

Per an updated News article:

"They kicked him out and he went outside, and just pulled out a gun," said Kevin Ames, who was visiting a friend who lives upstairs from the bar when the shooting occurred. "[He] shot in the window and killed one of the bouncers."

The gunman was last seen on Houston. No arrests have been made, police said. 

Anyone with information that could help the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit tips online. All calls are confidential.

D.A. Bragg announces sentencing of shooter in gang-related murder on 3rd Street and Avenue D

Photos from May 2022 by Stacie Joy 

A man who reportedly gunned down a rival gang member in May 2022 has been sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison. 

On Friday, Manhattan D.A. Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced the sentencing of 20-year-old Zymir Humphrey for murdering 21-year-old Brandon Atkinson on May 15, 2022, on Third Street and Avenue D. That shooting set in motion a series of retaliatory deadly shootings. 

According to court documents and statements, the case involved members of rival local gangs, Up the Hill and Down the Hill. 

Per the DA's office:

In May of 2022, an associate of Up the Hill was the victim of a robbery and Humphrey, who was a member of Up the Hill, believed that the rival gang was responsible. Atkinson, although an associate of Down the Hill, was not part of the robbery. 

As admitted in the defendant's guilty plea, on May 15, 2022, at approximately 11:15 p.m., Atkinson was at a deli near East Third Street and Avenue D. Humphrey traveled to the area, which was believed to be territory belonging to the rival gang, and shot Atkinson in the back of the head. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

U.S. Marshals arrested Humphrey in West Virginia in July 2022 and extradited him back to NYC. This past November, he pleaded guilty in New York Supreme Court to one count of Murder in the Second Degree. 

"Zymir Humphrey shot and killed Brandon Atkinson in a cruel and vicious act of gun violence," Bragg said in a statement. "Senseless cycles of retribution continue to fuel gun violence that destabilizes our communities and, far too often, results in the deaths of young New Yorkers. As Manhattan district attorney, tackling gun violence remains my top priority." 

Atkinson's death was part of a sprawling gang feud that also saw two local residents murdered in the Bronx. According to published reports, LES resident Nikki Huang, 23, allegedly had her purse stolen by a member of the Down the Hill gang. Huang, who was said to have friends in the Up the Hill gang, told them about the snatching.

As the Post reported, the payback started with Atkinson's death. Later that night, two Up the Hill members were shot and wounded on Pike Street. Huang and a friend from middle school, Jesse Parrilla, 22, were also kidnapped and executed that night near the Pelham Split Rock Golf Course in the Bronx. 

Parrilla, a former college basketball player who lived with his mother on 12th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, was said to be an innocent bystander. According to press reports, he simply gave a longtime friend a ride. 

Three suspects have been charged for the murders of Huang and Parrilla. Those cases remain active. A fourth suspect remains at large. 

Before the sentencing on Friday, Humphrey offered an apology. "I would like to apologize to Nikki Huang's family because, in all reality, she didn't have anything to do with [any] of this. Jesse's family also," the Daily News reported. 

While being led out of the courtroom, Humphrey told someone in attendance to "smoke that weed," per press accounts.

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 A memorial for Brandon Atkinson on the corner of Third Street and Avenue D from May 2022

Previously on EV Grieve:

• After deadly shooting, fearful residents speak out about the drug activity on Avenue D & 3rd Street 

• Hoop dreams: A memorial for Jesse Parrilla

Man pleads guilty to Tompkins Square Park shootings, D.A. Bragg announces

Photo from March 21, 2024, by Stacie Joy 

Manhattan D.A. Bragg yesterday announced a guilty plea from the suspect arrested for two shootings in Tompkins Square Park in March 2024. 

According to the D.A.'s office, 38-year-old Waldemar Alverio pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to three counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree. He is expected to be sentenced on Feb. 3 "to a promised term of 13 years in state prison," per the D.A.'s office.

On March 16, 2024, at 12:45 p.m., two men allegedly chased, punched and kicked Alverio. As they ran off, Alverio unzipped his bag and pulled out a gun, firing at them five times, per court documents. Alverio struck one of the two men in the buttocks, fracturing his pelvis and lodging a bullet in his hip. Alverio also shot a bystander, a 53-year-old tourist, fracturing her right hip, which had to be surgically replaced. Per the D.A.'s office, "she will require months of physical therapy as she learns how to walk again." 

Five days later, on March 21, Alverio returned to Tompkins Square Park just after noon, approached a group in the park, and shot at them five times. While Alverio did not strike anyone on that day, one bullet smashed through a window into a bedroom in an apartment building across Seventh Street, and another bullet smashed through a window and lodged in a stairwell in a second building on Seventh Street.

Officers from the 7th Precinct recognized Alverio from a wanted flyer and arrested him on Delancey Street on March 26. 

"These senseless and reckless shootings left two victims significantly injured and put the safety of many New Yorkers at risk," Bragg said in a statement. "Combatting gun violence is crucial to achieving lasting public safety, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove illegal firearms off our city's streets and drive down shootings."

[Updated] Witnesses: Argument erupts in gunfire on Avenue B and 4th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Residents who live around Avenue B and Fourth Street were startled early this morning by the sound of a heated argument that escalated into gunfire. 

Witnesses reported hearing an initial volley of three shots around 3 a.m., followed by three more moments later. Witnesses said at least one person was struck. 

One shot shattered the Half Gallery's front door on the NW corner of Fourth and B. Another shell casing was discovered near a dumpster at 240 E. Fourth St./50 Avenue B.

Witnesses described seeing a man crouched behind a dumpster during the incident while another individual was spotted fleeing the scene. 

Two neighbors managed to capture blurry cell phone images of at least one of the individuals involved, which have been turned over to the NYPD.

This is a developing story. We will update you when more information becomes available. 

Updated 3 p.m. 

A witness told us that one man was struck in the leg during the shooting. It is unknown whether he was the intended victim or a passerby. 

Witnesses and other sources on the block said the argument stemmed from a party held on recent Saturday nights inside the former Lamia's Fish Market at 47 Avenue B. A witness who spoke with police said the event, allegedly hosted by Populares Cantina Mexicana, was shut down by the NYPD at 2 a.m. 

There is a bullet hole inside the Half Gallery (between these two paintings)...

... and another in the door at 240 E. Fourth St./50 Avenue B.

Updated 11/27: Police said a suspect has been arrested in the shooting.