Police confirm they have arrested a man who had been sought for allegedly pouring a liquid, believed to be gasoline, on an occupied NYPD van during a protest against police held on Friday, Sept. 3, near the 46th precinct station house, in Fordham Heights.
Christopher Springs, 22, of the Bronx, was arrested at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 15, in connection with the Sept. 3 incident which occurred at Valentine Avenue and East 180th Street near the 46th precinct station house, located at 2120 Ryer Avenue.
It was the second such protest held in the area in response to a recent police-involved shooting which occurred on Sunday, Aug. 29, and which resulted in the death of 24-year-old Mike Rosado. Though the first protest was peaceful, the second turned violent when protesters knocked over metal barricades and the police vehicle was later, allegedly, doused with gasoline.
According to police, the group also threw eggs and trash at the marked NYPD van. In a video of the incident, Springs is seen holding what appears to be a red gas can and pours the liquid — which witnesses said smelled like gas — over the exterior and hood of the vehicle.
According to police and prosecutors, the driver, who was in the car with his NYPD partner, quickly drove away before the situation worsened, and no injuries were reported.
Photo by David Greene
Police confirm that Springs was charged with attempted arson, reckless endangerment and rioting. Prosecutors said he and about 10 others at the protest had tossed metal barricades into the air outside the precinct, and that some members of the group, who have not been arrested, also allegedly threw the barricades in the direction of police officers.
According to the Bronx District Attorney’s office, during his arraignment, Springs was granted supervised release, although prosecutors requested $35,000 cash or $75,000 bond. In reference to his release, a senior law enforcement source said he was “disgusted.”
Sgt. Brendan Ryan, a DCPI spokesman, had warned at the launch of the investigation into the gasoline incident that the suspect could face State and / or federal charges for his actions.
The New York Post reported that after having had his rights read to him, a source said Springs allegedly said he had been “radicalized by lies,” propagated by anti-police agitators. Authorities said Springs had no prior arrests.
The Sept. 3 gasoline incident occurred at approximately 10.32 p.m. when the group approached the 46th precinct station to protest the previously reported shooting of Rosado.
Photo by David Greene
As reported, Rosado, 24, died on Sunday, Aug. 29, and his father is in custody, after a street corner dispute among a group of young men led to a shoot-out with a pair of off-duty police officers.
According to police officials, the dispute began at 4:15 a.m. outside of the Los Polmaritos Deli & Grocery at 2080 Valentine Avenue, located at the corner of East 180th Street in Fordham Heights.
At an NYPD press conference held later on the morning of the shooting, Chief Juanita Holmes, the NYPD’s chief of patrol, said, “A 24-year-old male and a 45-year-old male were involved in a dispute with a group of people. This dispute then turned physical.”
Holmes said that during the dispute, the 24-year-old victim brandished a firearm and fired several times into the crowd of mostly young men.
Photo by David Greene
She continued, “During this dispute, two off-duty police officers, who just finished their shift with the 46th precinct, were leaving the area. They observed shots being fired and engaged the suspects.”
Holmes said the 24-year-old man pointed his gun and fired several times at the officers, who returned fire, fatally striking the man in the chest.
She added, “The 45-year-old male then picked up the injured suspect’s gun and fired rounds at the officers.” She said the 45-year-old was later taken into custody.
Holmes concluded, saying that moments after the shooting, responding officers attempted to render aid to Rosado, who died a short time later at St. Barnabas Hospital.
Photo by David Greene
Rosado was from East 150th Street in the Bronx. Police said his father, Rafael Rosado, 45, of Garfield Street in the Van Nest section of the Bronx, has been charged with attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal use of a firearm, and reckless endangerment.
A store surveillance video obtained by the NY Daily News shows the event unfolding. Initially, a woman is seen dancing and a man is seen smoking a hookah pipe on the street. The video later ends with the elder Rosado, apparently, holding the weapon, and two women laying the younger Rosado, apparently, on the ground as officers arrive at the scene.
Watch as NYPD executives provide an update to the police involved shooting in the @nypd46pct from earlier this morning. https://t.co/e8m8OZdGTH
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) August 29, 2021
The two unidentified, off-duty officers were brought to Jacobi Hospital for observation after complaints of ringing in the ears. The investigation division and the NYPD’s detective bureau are continuing their investigation into the incident.
The initial protest regarding the shooting, organized by residents of the local community, was held on Monday, Aug. 30, outside the 46th precinct.
Photo courtesy of the NYPD
The NYPD typically releases “bodycam” footage at some stage following the conclusion of the investigation into such police-involved shootings. It has not yet released the bodycam footage of the Aug. 29 incident. An apparent extract of other video footage of the shooting, which appears to have been obtained from other sources, has been posted to YouTube by the group, Cop Watch, and appears to show the victim, unarmed, with his arms raised before the fatal shooting. Norwood News has not yet been able to confirm the source of the video.
A person arrested and accused of a crime is innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.
Anyone with information with regard to 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 CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.
All calls are strictly confidential.
admin
Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
English
Arabic
Bengali
Chinese (Simplified)
French
Spanish