In the early hours of Monday morning, August 4, 2025, an off-duty NYPD police officer was arrested and charged with assault in the Bronx.
Authorities say 35-year-old Joseph Rivera was taken into custody around 3:20 a.m. within the boundaries of the 45th Precinct.
The details surrounding the incident have not yet been released, but the arrest of a law enforcement officer is already drawing attention from both the public and police oversight groups.
Rivera, a member of the New York City Police Department, now faces serious legal and professional consequences as the case unfolds.
While the NYPD has not commented on the circumstances of the arrest, it is standard protocol for the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau to open an investigation when one of its own is charged with a crime—particularly a violent offense like assault.