Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg
Photo by Dean Moses
A Lower East Side crew of seven alleged gang members was indicted Thursday for scheming to obtain firearms and murder their rivals last year, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Prosecutors say the alleged “Up the Hill” members may soon be heading up the river for reportedly committing seven different shootings between June 2024 and December 2025, some of which resulted in injuring bystanders.
“The ‘Up the Hill’ crew brought violence to our streets and put innocent New Yorkers at risk – and today several of these gang members have been indicted on charges ranging from attempted murder, conspiracy, robbery, criminal weapons possession, and more,” Tisch said. “This case demonstrates our precision policing strategy in action: recovering guns, dismantling gangs, and deploying our officers where and when they are needed most.”
According to court records, “Up the Hill” was at war in the Lower East Side with the “Down the Hill” crew, which operates in NYCHA’s Wald Houses and Baruch Houses in Alphabet City. Prosecutors say this particular beef had been ongoing since June 26, 2024, when they say one of the defendants, Sincere McClain, vandalized a candlelight memorial for a deceased member of his rival before opening fire some 20 times on 6th Street and FDR Drive. That shooting left a bystander with a gunshot wound to the left leg.
Court records show that McClain allegedly struck again on Aug. 22, 2024, this time with accomplice Jahlik Edmonds. The pair made their way to and shot at an individual riding a scooter. The next day, prosecutors charged, they made taunts via social media.
Both men would allegedly attempt to shoot another person on seven days later, on Aug. 29, 2024, at the corner Madison and Rutgers Streets, but ultimately missed.
Police say they uncovered messages dating from Dec. 17, 2024, that show alleged gang member Jermel Singleton discussing buying a gun for between $500 and $600.
Several instances of shootings and online taunts continued throughout 2025 until cops and prosecutors were able to build a case and end in Thursday’s indictment.
“This indictment alleges a coordinated pattern of violence spanning several months, during which the defendants repeatedly armed themselves and targeted rivals in residential areas, putting countless New Yorkers at risk,” District Attorney Bragg said. “As we further allege, the defendants used social media to provoke rivals, glorify gun violence and escalate tensions, fueling a dangerous cycle of retaliation.”
Six individuals are charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count each of second-degree conspiracy for the alleged murder conspiracy. All of the defendants are charged with one count of fourth-degree for the alleged weapons conspiracy. In total, they are collectively charged with 33 counts, including various second-degree charges of attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
