NEW YORK, NY – Police in New York City have identified a man wanted in at least three strong-armed robberies within the New York City subway system in recent weeks.
The suspect approaches his victims from behind and either grabs or shoves them before robbing them of their belongings, the NYPD said today.
In one robbery, a 40-year-old man standing at an MTA Metro Card machine inside the 18th Street subway station was approached from behind, shoved, and robbed of money and his cell phone after being followed into the stairwell.
In a second robbery, that same suspect approached a 24-year-old man from behind and placed his hand over the victim’s mouth, pushing a hard object against his ribs. The victim complied and gave the suspect his belongings.
The latest known incident occurred on March 4 when he followed a 45-year-old man onto a subway train inside the Chambers Street subway station and held a knife to the victim’s neck after distracting him with small talk.
“A brief struggle ensued, and the individual removed a camera from the victim before fleeing off the train and into the Delancey Street-Essex Street subway station. There were no reported injuries as a result of this incident,” police said.
The suspect is described as a male, has a beard, is 6’5” in height, approximately 200 lbs., and is believed to be 30-35-years-old.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on Twitter @NYPDTips.