Break in the Case

New York City Police Department

Welcome to Break in the Case, the true crime podcast written and produced by The New York City Police Department in conjunction with the New York City Police Foundation. Listen as we follow the world’s greatest detectives to crime scenes—some which you may know, some which you certainly don’t. Our narrator, Retired Detective Sergeant Wally Zeins, worked at the NYPD from 1973 to 2003, ending his career on Night Watch, an exclusive team that investigates all the homicides and high-profile crimes between the hours of midnight and 8 a.m. Look for Season 3 in early 2023. read less

Play Trailer

Coming Soon: Season 2

Coming Soon: Season 2

Welcome back to Season 2 of Break in the Case! Listen as we follow the world’s greatest detectives to crime scenes—some which you may know, some which you certainly don’t. Episodes begin on September 9th and appear every other Thursday.

SPECIAL EPISODE: The Real Crimes of the Fake German Heiress

SPECIAL EPISODE: The Real Crimes of the Fake German Heiress

Anna Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, came to New York City from Germany in 2014 and quickly became a fixture in the downtown social scene. She claimed to be an heiress with a vast fortune. But she wasn’t quite what she said she was. In August 2017, she was indicted on an array of financial and fraud-based crimes, including Attempted Grand Larceny. In this special episode, the NYPD detective who led the investigation into Sorokin explains her crimes. What did she do, and how did she do it?

S2 E7: Queens Sniper (Part 2)

S2 E7: Queens Sniper (Part 2)

Season 2 concludes with the second and last episode of the Queens Sniper story. In Part 2, a suspect is in custody, and the case is upgraded to a homicide. The real work begins for the detectives and the Queens prosecutor as they collect evidence and build a counter-narrative to a potential insanity defense.

S2 E6: Queens Sniper (Part 1)

S2 E6: Queens Sniper (Part 1)

The night of August 26, 2006, a driver went on a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, four injured, and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across Queens. He shot at pedestrians and cars, and showed a preference for the color red in his targets. The Queens detectives, bosses, and cops who were working that night tell the harrowing story.

S2 E5: Two Homicides, One Gun, and a Pink Bag

S2 E5: Two Homicides, One Gun, and a Pink Bag

In the early hours of December 11, 2012, Shalema Gaskin was on her way to visit her daughter at Brookdale Hospital in Brownsville, Brooklyn. It was four blocks away from her home, but she never made it there. She was found behind the hospital with a gunshot wound to the back of the neck. A couple of days later, Steven Evans was killed a mile away with the same gun. To this day, no tips have been called in for either case. Detectives are asking for the public’s help to solve this case.

S2 E4: Ming the Harlem Tiger

S2 E4: Ming the Harlem Tiger

In 2003, the Emergency Service Unit met their match when they discovered a 250-pound Bengal tiger in a man’s Harlem apartment. This is the story of Ming the Harlem Tiger, and the officers who responded.

S2 E3: The Man in the Baseball Hat

S2 E3: The Man in the Baseball Hat

It’s a race against the clock as detectives in the 6th Precinct investigate a series of assault and robbery cases with elderly victims. Here’s how they collared the man that was behind the crime spree.

S2 E2: Dark Web Undercover

S2 E2: Dark Web Undercover

The dark web is but a fraction of the internet. But illegal activity there is now increasing coming to light. Threatening savings. Damaging peace of mind. In this episode, we’ll meet the detective who fights crime on the dark side, and find out how he went from online to real life to nab a credit card fraudster.

S2 E1: Who Killed Henryk? The Unsolved Homicide of 9/11

S2 E1: Who Killed Henryk? The Unsolved Homicide of 9/11

Just before midnight, on September 11, 2001, a man was gunned down on a street in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. His name was Henryk Siwiak. Despite the best efforts of a police department spread thin by a large-scale terrorist attack, the killer was never apprehended, and the case remains open to this day.

Coming Soon: Season 2

Coming Soon: Season 2

Welcome back to Season 2 of Break in the Case! Listen as we follow the world’s greatest detectives to crime scenes—some which you may know, some which you certainly don’t. Episodes begin on September 9th and appear every other Thursday.

S1 E6: Who is Monique?

S1 E6: Who is Monique?

Police find the severed body parts of a woman in South Brooklyn, and are struggling to identify her to this day.

S1 E5: Baby Hope: In the Box

S1 E5: Baby Hope: In the Box

After hours of interrogation, the truth about what happened to Baby Hope is revealed.

S1 E4: Baby Hope: The Girl in the White Dress

S1 E4: Baby Hope: The Girl in the White Dress

For 22 years, detectives searched for the true name of the little girl they called "Baby Hope." Once they found it, it was eight days before they were face to face with her killer.

S1 E3: Baby Hope: A Colder Case

S1 E3: Baby Hope: A Colder Case

For two decades, detectives struggled with the Baby Hope case. One day, a tip was called in that changed everything.

S1 E2: Baby Hope: We Are Them

S1 E2: Baby Hope: We Are Them

Two years into the investigation, detectives are no closer to knowing Baby Hope's real name.

S1 E1: Baby Hope: Into the Woods

S1 E1: Baby Hope: Into the Woods

A gruesome discovery by a road crew in Washington Heights sends the 34th Precinct Detective Squad on a hunt for a little girl's identity.

S1 Trailer | Break in the Case

S1 Trailer | Break in the Case

Welcome to Season One of Break in the Case: True Stories by NYPD Detectives. Starting October 29, 2019.