An aide of NYC Mayor Eric Adams was was robbed early Tuesday morning (July 5). Sources say Chris Baugh, 33, tried to warn the two men that he worked for Mayor Adams. However, his warnings weren’t enough to scare them off. One of them brandished a gun before they robbed him. The mayor’s aide was walking down York Street at Hudson Avenue in Vinegar Hill, when he was approached by the suspects. Police sources say they blocked his path and demanded his phone and wallet.
That is when Baugh warned the men of his status. “You don’t want to do this, I work for the mayor,” sources say Baugh told them. One of the men then lifted his shirt, exposing the top of a firearm. Baugh’s phone and wallet were snatched out of his pocket and he was pushed to the ground. Sources say after the men fled, Baugh walked a block or so to a police tow pound where he called 911 and reported the robbery. The mayor’s office issued this statement about Baugh’s unfortunate run-in with the two men:
“Chris works hard for the city every day, and he deserves to be safe while conducting his job, just like every other New Yorker. 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. Today’s incident only further highlights the urgency to get dangerous guns and dangerous people off our streets as quickly as possible. New York City employees are city residents, and we will do everything in our power to keep all New Yorkers safe.”
The robbery comes after pressure has been applied on Mayor Adams and his administration to curb gun violence in the city. Both suspects in Tuesday morning’s robbery got away. One suspect fled on foot and the other used a Citi Bike. No arrests have been made.