Left: 1370 Fifth Ave., within King Towers NYCHA complex; Right: Wanted for forcible touching. (
)
The rash of gun violence involving teenagers continues unabated. While Manhattan has been relatively insulated from the trend compared with the slaughterhouse of the Bronx and parts of Brooklyn, that’s small solace to the family and other loved ones of all ages who were recently wounded or killed in Manhattan.
The bullets started flying at around 2:10pm in East Harlem near 1370 Fifth Ave., which is the address of a building within the King Towers NYCHA complex. King is short for Martin Luther King Jr.
The victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital in critical condition.
At press time, police had not yet released surveillance images of any suspected shooter.
Although part of a “superblock” today, 1370 Fifth Ave. is close to where East 113th Street would be. Across the street from this address is the home of FDNY Engine 58, Ladder 26.
Before this area was razed for public housing, the blocks between Lenox Avenue in the west and Fifth Avenue in the east from East 112th to 115th streets were filled with mostly five- and six-story apartment buildings. Likewise its sister housing projects, which stretch east to First Avenue.
In terms of open space and playgrounds, the “slum clearance,” as it was called, was a great success. Long-term maintenance of the buildings, and what in some cases became generational poverty, are separate issues.
Opened in October 1954, King Towers contains 1,373 apartments. Originally named Stephen Foster Houses, after the great American songwriter (“My Old Kentucky Home,” “Beautiful Dreamer”), who lived from 1826 to 1864. It was renamed for Dr. King following the civil rights leader’s April 4, 1968, assassination in Memphis.
Forcible Touching on Madison Avenue
Cops are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a man wanted in connection with a forcible touching incident that occurred within the confines of the Midtown South Precinct. Details are as follows:
On Friday, May 2, 2025, at approximately 3:35pm, a 33-year-old female victim was in the vicinity of 42nd Street and Madison Avenue when an unidentified man approached from behind and grabbed her buttocks. The creep then fled the location on foot, traveling northbound on Madison Avenue. There were no injuries reported.
The suspect is described as a male with dark complexion and dreadlocks. He is approximately 5 foot 10.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents 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/, on X @NYPDTips.