Teen arrested in NYC’s first shooting of 2022 that left cop wounded outside precinct

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in the New Year’s Day wounding of NYPD cop Keith Wagenhauser outside his East Harlem precinct — the first shooting of 2022, police said Thursday.

Wagenhauser, 34, was in the parking lot of the 25th Precinct stationhouse after finishing his New Year’s shift when he was hit in the by bullet fragments from a shot fired off a rooftop 10 blocks away.

“He was shot as he sat in his personal car waiting to start his next tour in the 25th Precinct on Jan. 1, 2022,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a press briefing.

“The shooter in that incident has been identified, arrested and will now be held accountable.”

The wounded cop was at the briefing, telling reporters, “I’m just glad to be alive and be before you guys.”

The accused gunman, who has not been named, is currently being processed, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said.

Detectives had to do some old-fashioned police work to track down the alleged shooter, who fired from such a distance that there was no Shot Spotter, the chief said.

They scoured the area to find any shots fired nearby that weren’t loud enough to trigger an alert — and narrowed the search down to the King Towers on West 112th Street, eventually catching the teen loading the gun on surveillance footage, police said.

“This was an exhaustive investigation by members of the Manhattan homicide and 25 detective squad,” Essig said. “We believe he went up to that roof, fired on shot off that roof on New Year’s Day, and it traveled 10 blocks.”

Wagenhauser was struck in the head by bullet fragments around 6:15 a.m. and was treated at New York-Presbyterian Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

“Here’s the promise,” Mayor Eric Adams said at the time. “We’re going to get the shooter. That’s the ending of this one.”

It took nearly a year, but the words proved to be prophetic.