What to Know
- Robert Bishun, 36, was found dead in the trunk of his own car hours after he was kidnapped from the auto body shop where he works
- Masked suspects burst into the shop and demanded money and jewelry, tying up two customers in the store and putting them in car trunks
- The customers were able to free themselves
A 36-year-old employee kidnapped from an auto body shop during an attempted robbery was found dead, a zip tie around his neck, in the trunk of a car in the Bronx hours later, police say.
Two men wearing masks, gloves and hoodies burst into the auto body shop on Stillwell Avenue in Morris Park just before 9 p.m., demanded jewelry and cash, and tied up two customers before putting them in the trunks of two vehicles, authorities said.
The robbers then took off with employee Robert Bishun in Bishun's car, leaving the customers in the others vehicles at the scene, according to police.
At some point, the two customers were able to free themselves and found that the robbers and the employee were gone.
Shortly after 11:15 p.m., police found Bishun's car on Broadway near Van Cortlandt Park in Riverdale. In the trunk, they found the employee. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Authorities say the suspects didn't actually steal anything from the customers or the shop. Bishun had a federal drug charge pending against him, but it wasn't clear if that had anything to do with the robbery and abduction.
Bishun had been working for the family auto body repair shop in the last year, friends said. He had gotten out of prison and turned his life aroun, they said.
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"It's very sad, very, very sad situation," said family friend Antonio Colon. "He was doing very well now for himself. Got back on track, left everything alone."
Police said they're investigating it as a robbery for now. The shop was previously robbed in 2015 in "somewhat similar circumstances," according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Bob Boyce.
