NEW YORK, N.Y. – An online fundraiser for a rookie NYPD officer who was brutally assaulted and robbed while on his way home from work last month has garnered significant support, raising over half of its $50,000 goal. The community has rallied behind Officer Chowdhury Nafees, 27, who was left with serious facial injuries after being stomped on in the Bronx.
The attack, which occurred in the early morning hours of May 24, 2025, left the young officer with multiple facial fractures requiring extensive surgery. According to police reports, Officer Nafees was walking home in uniform, though wearing a jacket over it, when he was ambushed by two assailants. The attackers allegedly held him at knifepoint, stole his service weapon, wallet, and phone, and then viciously stomped on his face, leaving a shoe print on his cheek.
In the wake of the brutal assault, a fundraiser was established on FundtheFirst.com, a platform dedicated to supporting first responders. The campaign, organized to assist with Officer Nafees’s medical expenses and to support his family, has raised over $26,000 as of Thursday evening.
The attack drew widespread condemnation from city officials and the public. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch had vowed the department would use its full force to bring the perpetrators to justice. Two suspects have since been arrested in connection with the assault and are facing multiple charges, including attempted murder.
Officer Nafees, a Bangladeshi immigrant who joined the NYPD in September 2024 after serving as a 911 dispatcher, has been described by colleagues and family as a dedicated public servant who dreamed of being a New York City police officer.
While he has been released from the hospital, his brother has indicated that Officer Nafees faces a long road to recovery, both physically and psychologically. The outpouring of financial support from hundreds of donors reflects a groundswell of public backing for the injured officer and a strong condemnation of the violence he endured.
