Armed robbers burst in to a Brooklyn apartment and zip-tie victim, 37, before beating him up and fleeing with valuables including two watches

 Two armed robbers burst in to a Brooklyn apartment and tied up a victim with zip-ties before beating him up and fleeing with valuables, including two watches.

Terrifying video footage, taken on February 3 at around 12pm, shows two hooded men approach a 37-year-old man's apartment near West 5 Street and Neptune Avenue.

The two men, one of whom is wearing a balaclava, while the other wears a face mask, then charge towards the front door.

The door was already being held open by the victim, and the men then forced their way into the apartment, appearing to push past the victim.

Another clip, taken inside the apartment, shows one of the men walk into the kitchen and take something out of the fridge, throwing an empty packet on the floor as he does.

Terrifying video footage, taken on February 3 at around 12pm, shows two hooded men approach a 37-year-old man's apartment near West 5 Street and Neptune Avenue

According to the New York Police Department, the two men used tape to zip-tie the victim's hands and 'menaced' him with a knife.

They also beat up the victim and removed his two watches before fleeing the apartment. The victim refused medical attention, the force said. 

The NYPD is appealing for help in identifying the two individuals in the footage.

A statement from the force's 60 Precinct said: 'On Thursday, February 3, 2022 at approximately 1200 hours, the individuals forcibly entered the 37 year-old male victim's apartment in the vicinity West 5 Street and Neptune Avenue as he opened the door. 

'Once inside, the individuals used tape and zip-tied the victim's hands. The individuals menaced the victim with a knife, kicked him, and removed two watches before fleeing. 

'The victim refused medical attention.'

Violent crime has surged across the country in recent years, especially in New York City over the past year, with many different factors including increased tensions between the police and public, unemployment rates, soft-on-crime politicians and bail reform also being blamed as explanations.

According to the most recently available crime data of the week ending on February 6, robberies have soared by almost 35 per cent when compared to the same period in 2021.

The men, one of whom is wearing a balaclava, while the other wears a face mask, charge towards the open front door and force their way into the apartment

According to the New York Police Department, the two men used tape to zip-tie the victim's hands and 'menaced' him with a knife. Pictured: Footage taken from inside the apartment

While murders are down nearly 13 per cent at this time over last year, shootings have increased almost 30 per cent. 

Rape has also increased by more than 35 per cent and overall crime in the Big Apple has skyrocketed by 41.65 per cent, according to the data.

Amid the surge in violent crimes, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has criticized new Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg for his soft-on-crime approach.

'We need to now stop the domestic terror that we're living out every day in these cities,' Adams, 61, told radio anchor Rita Cosby on her late-night program The Rita Cosby Show last week, speaking on how he plans to address the city's massive crime surge since assuming office last month. 

During the interview, the former NYPD captain blamed the increase on sweeping policy changes Bragg made last month that lighten punishments for armed robbery and burglary suspects and allow career criminals and repeat offenders back on the streets after committing violent, felony offenses. 

'Let's be clear. We are in a city, in a country, where consequences must go with inappropriate actions,' Adams asserted during the 17-minute exchange after being questioned about his opinion on Bragg's policies and the surge of crimes seen since the start of the pandemic.

The mayor then declared that currently 'there is no appropriate response to [criminals'] bad behavior' thanks to Bragg's policies, which aim to eliminate prison sentences for all but the most serious crimes, downgrade felony charges in certain cases of armed robbery and burglary, and drop charges for many low-level offenses.

'The laws have shown that and it's troubling, when you could have a person that carries a gun repeatedly, and they're treated in family court instead of criminal court,' Adams said.

'I think we need to tweak, tweak the law to reflect that that's unacceptable,' he added. 

Bragg, 48, also imposed further changes to the city's prosecuting policies regarding bail for criminals with violent offenses, following the elimination of cash bail in the city at the start of 2020, which spurred an alarming spike in violent crimes that year that was in turn exacerbated by the pandemic. 

'New York City is a corporation, I'm the new CEO,' Adams told Cosby. 'And as in any new CEO, you have to put your plan and programs in place to turn around a failing company. And that's what we're experiencing right now.' 

When questioned about Bragg's office letting out repeat violent offenders, the mayor offered the radio host another analogy, likening New York's current crime wave that has seen 6 NYPD officers shot in January alone to a coursing river, and his office to a dam that will hopefully halt the outpour of offenses. 

'I say over and over again, that [there are] many rivers that flow into the sea of violence, and we need to dam every river,' Adams said.

'We're going to do our job in the city to dam the river of the guns that are on the street,' the mayor added, referring to an increase in shootings seen in recent years in the currently crime-ridden city. 

New York City is currently experiencing soaring crime rates and an increase in shooting incidents not seen since the mid-2000s

'We also need to dam the rivers that allow people to come back out after committing crimes, and dam the river that allows the flow of guns in our city.'

The former state senator proceeded to compare the crime crisis to a terrorist attack, calling the influx of incidents 'domestic terror.'

'I call it the same response we had with 9/11 to stop terrorism, international terrorism to come to our shores. And we need to now stop the domestic terror that we're living out every day in these cities,' he said. 

Adams revealed that he's been in talks with the city's district attorneys about how to address the influx of incidents.

'We've met with all of the district attorneys this week,' Adams told Cosby.

'We sat down and I believe we had a meeting of the minds, where we realized that we must be combined in our efforts to deal with this issue of violence.'

The politician then revealed that he's been in talks with Bragg, and said that the two would work together to address the surge - specifically gun violence, although he fell short of saying exactly what was discussed.

'I've had conversations with Da Bragg. And, you know, I never reveal private conversations, but I believe we're going to work together specifically to deal with gun violence, and look at some of these other cases that's leading to this state of disorder in our city.'

Adams - who also met with President Biden on Thursday in New York City to discuss strategies to quell gun violence by stopping the flow of illegal guns, strengthening law enforcement and increasing funding for police - did not reveal the specifics of the conversation.

Amid the surge in violent crimes in the Big Apple, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (pictured) has criticized new Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg for his soft-on-crime approach 

'Criminals are extremely smart in how they stay in tune in new laws and procedures, more than we do,' Adams also told Cosby.

'I think it's important that we send the right message. And I am encouraged, based on the meeting that we had, that we will be sending the right message to keep the city safe.'

It comes after Adams vowed that the NYPD would bring back plainclothes police squads, termed the Anti-Crime Units, which his predecessor Bill de Blasio disbanded in July 2020 amid anger at policing sparked by the murder of George Floyd.

The units will now be known as Neighborhood Safety Teams, and will launch in the next three weeks, targeting 30 precincts where the mayor said 80 percent of violence takes place.

De Blasio disbanded the unit amid criticism of their tactics: Adams, in a bid to win over critics, said the plainclothes officers would be somehow identifiable to the public as police officers, and be equipped with body cameras.

'The City will hold listening tours in key neighborhoods, truly understanding the challenges of past Anti-Crime Units and providing additional training, supervision, analytics, and risk monitoring to ensure these enhanced teams work with communities

He also promised an expansion of the Gun Violence Suppression Division, the NYPD unit that goes after gun traffickers, and more police patrolling the streets, with fewer assigned to desk duties.

'We will have boots on the ground on every block in this city,' the mayor said.

Adams said he would crackdown on the 'iron pipeline', allocating more resources to teams performing spot checks to prevent guns being brought in to the city.

Bragg has come under fire for polices that aim to eliminate prison sentences for all but the most serious crimes, downgrade felony charges in certain cases of armed robbery and burglary, and drop charges for many low-level offenses

He promised to create programs for young people over the summer, with training and 'youth engagement', to win over vulnerable youths and stop them falling in to a life of crime.

He also promised more federal funds for mental health care and hospital beds for those too ill to be on the streets.

'We will not surrender our city to the violent few,' Adams said.

The Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the largest police union in the city, welcomed Adams' plan.

'Mayor Adams is absolutely right that the message on the streets is that there are no consequences for carrying and using illegal guns,' the union said in a statement.

'We saw the tragic results of that message again on Friday night.

'It has to change immediately, because we have already lost more than we can bear.'

Yet Adams's plan, in particular his revival of the Anti-Crime Units, have not been universally welcomed.

'We can build safer, stronger communities without relying on strategies which in the past have inflicted lasting harm,' said Jumaane Williams, the city's public advocate.

'This is not a time to lose the lessons that we have learned.'