A man was shot and wounded Monday night outside a nearly vacant Westchester County mall that has become a magnet for crime and blight.
New Rochelle police said officers responded to New Roc City around 10:45 p.m. After reports of gunfire. They found the unidentified victim bleeding from the back of his head outside the 1.2 million square-foot shopping and entertainment center, according to a department release. He was rushed to a local hospital and is listed in stable condition.
Witnesses told investigators that two men dressed in black were seen fleeing the scene. The suspects remain at large as police continue their investigation and manhunt.
The shooting comes just days after The Post published a Sept. 28 exposé on New Roc City’s deterioration. Opened in 1999 at a cost of nearly $200 million, the complex was once a hotspot in New Rochelle. Its isolated design, shifting shopping patterns, and a downtown revitalization plan by the Democratic-run city contributed to its decline, even after millions in upgrades.
James O’Toole, a local activist and past candidate for elected office, described the conditions he observed last month.
“The smell of urine, elevators not working, rats and plenty of homeless in areas of the garage,” he said.
He continued, “The fire system does not work after the city just installed a new one, most of the doors to the stairwells don’t work and most exit signs are not lit. There are plenty of abandoned cars on all levels of the garage. The garage entrance near the Hotel has been closed off for over three months. The bottom level is littered with construction debris.”
Security problems have persisted at New Roc despite the presence of a police outpost on site. In recent years, officers have reported at least two other shootings at the property, including one outside a Burger King at the mall. Last year, a 47-year-old man’s drug lab sparked a fire at a hotel located within the complex.
New Rochelle police are asking anyone with information about Monday night’s shooting to contact detectives at 914-654-2270 or the department’s non-emergency line at 914-654-2300.