Several U.S. secret service snipers were seen stationed on rooftops in the Castle Hill section of The Bronx on Thursday afternoon while an emergency service unit and a small army of NYPD police officers flooded the sidewalk and street as former U.S. President Donald J. Trump made an unscheduled visit to a Castle Hill barbershop just 20 days out from the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5.

 

Trump made the unexpected visit to the Knockout Barbershop located at 1189 Castle Hill Avenue. Ahead of the Republican presidential nominee’s arrival, one woman in the crowd was seen arguing with at least two other Trump supporters, before additional Trump supporters arrived, one carrying a flag which on one side displayed the stars and stripes and on the other side, the Trump campaign motto, “Make America Great Again.”

 

Security for the impromptu Bronx visit by Trump was heightened exponentially since he held a campaign rally in the borough’s Crotona Park on May 23, and since two assassination attempts were made on his life, one, as reported, in Butler, PA. on July 13, and another at his home in West Palm Beach, FL. on Sept. 15. Norwood News readers had previously weighed in on the first attempt.

 

On Thursday, the Secret Service were seen guarding and protecting both the barbershop and the tent into which some of Trump’s motorcade drove. Elsewhere, police were seen lining the streets, shops, and sidewalks for blocks, snipers were spotted on several rooftops, and an NYPD helicopter and several drones were seen and heard circling over Castle Hill Avenue.

 

A crowd of more than two dozen journalists from around the City were set up behind metal barricades at the corner of Castle Hill Avenue and Gleason Avenue, where a Secret Service agent with a bomb-sniffing K-9 had the dog sniff their cameras and camera bags. Each obliged without incident.

 

Two journalists waited for several hours hoping to get a soundbite or a photo of the former president. One was heard surmising if Trump would speak to the press, asking a colleague, “Will he do it?”

The second reporter responded, “They won’t let him; he’s a sitting target here.” After his visit, Trump jumped back into his vehicle and left without waving to the crowd or talking to journalists. Shortly after his visit, there was a still unconfirmed report of a person falling or jumping off Trump Tower in Manhattan.

 

Later, the same evening, Trump was expected to attend the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in Manhattan. The heavily Democratic Bronx is anticipated to vote in large numbers for Trump’s opponent, Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who previously visited The Bronx in 2022.

 

Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who recently signed into law an additional package of State gun control protections, was the guest of honor on Sept. 8 at a “Get-Out-the-Vote” Bronx rally in support of the Harris Walz presidential campaign at the Bronx Democratic Party’s headquarters in Morris Park. Since then, a reported non-disclosure by the Bronx Democratic Party of more than $400,000, in apparent violation of campaign finance rules, as first reported NY Focus, may have overshadowed those campaign efforts.

 

Meanwhile, Bronx Republicans are also holding local rallies and events in support of Trump across the borough which last year saw its first Republican elected to the city council in around 30 years when now-Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato unseated then-Democratic incumbent Marjorie Velázquez in District 13 in the East Bronx.

 

Meanwhile, an independent review of the July 13th assassination attempt on Trump was released on Thursday. In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said of the incident, “We will fully consider the panel’s recommendations and are taking the actions needed to advance the Secret Service’s protection mission.”

 

Mayorkas continued, “These actions will be responsive not only to the security failures that led to the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt, but, importantly, to what the independent review panel describes as systematic and foundational issues that underline those failures.”

 

The Secret Service also issued a statement on the report that read in part, “We are not waiting to act. We have already significantly improved our readiness, operational and organizational communications and implemented enhanced protective operations for the former president and other protectees.”

 

The statement continued, “This includes making changes to better integrate with our state and local law enforcement partners and augmenting our protection with support from the U.S. Department of Defense and other agencies.”

 

Following the first assassination attempt by Thomas Matthew Crooks on Trump at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which resulted in one victim’s death and injuries to Trump and other spectators, the FBI said it was investigating the incident as an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism.

 

They said while the investigation indicated the shooter acted alone, the FBI conducted “logical investigative activity” to determine if there were any co-conspirators associated with the attack, and found are no public safety concerns at the time.

 

The FBI did not identify a motive for the shooter’s actions, but said the agency was working to determine the sequence of events and the shooter’s movements prior to the shooting, collecting and reviewing evidence, conducting interviews, and following up on all leads. “We have also obtained the shooter’s telephone for examination,” they said.

 

“The FBI has searched the shooter’s home and vehicle to collect additional evidence,” they said. “Suspicious devices found at both locations have been rendered safe by bomb technicians and are being evaluated at the FBI Laboratory. The firearm used in the shooting was purchased legally. The shooter was not known to the FBI prior to this incident.”

 

The FBI later followed up on their initial statement, saying, FBI technical specialists successfully gained access to Crooks’ phone and continue to analyze his electronic devices. They said the search of the subject’s residence and vehicle were completed and they also conducted nearly 100 interviews of law enforcement personnel, event attendees, and other witnesses. “That work continues,” they said.

 

They said the FBI has also received hundreds of digital media tips which include photos and videos taken at the scene, and continue to review incoming tips.

Last month, the FBI reported that a federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment charging Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, with attempting to kill Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15.

 

According to allegations in a complaint affidavit and a factual proffer filed with the court, the former president was golfing at Trump International on Sept. 15, and a Secret Service agent conducting a perimeter security sweep saw the partially obscured face of a man — later identified as Routh — in the brush along the fence line near the sixth hole. The agent observed the barrel of a rifle aimed directly at him. As the agent began backing away, he saw the rifle barrel move, and the agent fired at Routh.

 

A witness saw Routh running across the road from the golf course and getting into a black Nissan Xterra. Based on information provided by the witness, Routh was later apprehended heading northbound on I-95 by officers from the Martin County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

 

Court documents allege that in the area where Routh had been hiding in the tree line, FBI agents located an SKS semiautomatic rifle with a scope attached and an extended magazine. The serial number on the rifle was obliterated and unreadable. Hanging from the fence was a backpack and a reusable shopping bag that each contained a plate capable of stopping small arms fire.

 

According to the allegations filed with the court, FBI agents found documents that contained a handwritten list of dates in August, September, and October and venues where the former president had appeared or was expected to be present. Cell records for two of the cell phones found in the Nissan Xterra showed that on multiple days and times from Aug. 18 to Sept. 15, Routh’s cell phone accessed cell towers located near Trump International and the former president’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.

 

According to the factual proffer filed with the court, a civilian witness contacted law enforcement stating that Routh had dropped off a box at his residence several months ago. Included in the box was a handwritten letter from Routh addressed “Dear World,” which stated, among other things, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”

 

Routh was charged with attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer (a secret service agent), felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. At a detention hearing on Sept. 23, Routh was ordered to remain in federal custody pending trial. If convicted, Routh faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

 

According to court records, Routh was convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010. Both he and Crooks are presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

As reported, Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) recently led the introduction of a bipartisan bill to enhance presidential security after the first Trump assassination attempt in July.

 

The presidential and general elections take place Nov. 5. The last day to register to vote in person and by mail is Oct. 26. Applications to register by mail must be received by Oct. 26. New Yorkers must register to be eligible to vote on Nov. 5. There are also deadlines for making changes to your registration, such as changes to your address or enrollment. Visit https://vote.nyc/page/all-important-dates for more information.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.