Shocking video footage captured the moment an off-duty NYPD police officer takes the law into his own hands and opens fire on two suspected car thieves — with the cop now suspended without pay.
The chilling scene unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. Monday in the Bronx, after the cop — identified by law enforcement sources as Jonathan Baez — got into his SUV and followed the men he believed were involved in stealing his car.
The officer then pulls up behind the white sedan when it double-parks on West 231st Street in Kingsbridge — and walks up to the car, firing multiple shots without warning, the footage shows.
Shocking video footage captured the moment an off-duty NYPD police officer shot at a suspected car thief. Robert Mecea for New York Post
The scene before the shooting. Obtained by NY Post
Police at the scene of a shooting in the Bronx on March 17, 2026. Robert Mecea for New York PostSurveillance cameras from a nearby store also captured audio of the violent encounter, with someone shouting, “C’mon, motherf—ker,” moments before a series of shots rang out.
A 30-year-old man inside the car was struck in the head, sources said.
Footage obtained by The Post shows the driver then hops back in the sedan and speeds off to rush the wounded man to New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
The off-duty officer gets back in his vehicle and pulls away, the video shows.
A body was seen on the street after a suspected car thief was shot. Obtained by NY Post
A bullet hole in the windshield of a car in the Bronx on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Obtained by The NY PostOne neighbor said she heard gunfire and went to see what happened — and found a woman she believes to be the frightened girlfriend of one of the men on the phone with him.
“When I came out, I saw her there shaking, and she’s on speaker phone, and I’m hearing what they’re talking about,” Selena Rhode told The Post. “I’m like, ‘Oh my God,’ like, ‘You want me to call 911, because she was ready to just walk out, would’ve walked right out into the crossfire.
“She was seeing part of what happened, the interaction, the initial interaction,” Rhode said. “She said, ‘My boyfriend is hiding under the car right now.'”
The critically wounded victim, who sources said has no criminal record, is now listed in critical condition at the hospital.
Police at the scene in the Bronx after a suspected car thief was shot. Robert Mecea for New York PostPolice have not released details of the incident nor officially identified Baez as the officer, and it is unclear why he suspected the two men may have been involved in stealing his vehicle.
The NYPD is investigating the incident.
