NEW YORK, NY — A group of four men is being sought in a fast-moving citywide robbery pattern targeting victims across five NYPD precincts, with six necklace-snatching incidents reported between July 9 and August 2.
The suspects, all described as males with dark complexions, are linked to a series of robberies in the 43rd, 47th, 49th, 50th, and 67th Precincts. Police say the group has used both a white Honda Civic and a dark-colored Nissan SUV to flee the scenes.
In multiple incidents, victims were approached at random and forcibly stripped of their necklaces, sometimes at gunpoint. Two victims were hospitalized with neck lacerations, and another fell to the ground while resisting.
The crime pattern began on July 9 around 5:00 p.m., when a 56-year-old man standing on Schenectady Avenue in Brooklyn was approached by two individuals who simulated firearms under their shirts before grabbing his necklace and fleeing in a waiting vehicle.
On July 17, two more incidents occurred just minutes apart. At 4:22 p.m., a 25-year-old man on Metropolitan Avenue in the Bronx was held at gunpoint by three suspects and had his necklace stolen. He suffered a neck injury and was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. Just 17 minutes later, another man was robbed at gunpoint on Boston Road. He was unharmed, but police say the suspects displayed and simulated firearms during the robbery.
Two days later, a 16-year-old boy was attacked from behind near Hammersley and Grace Avenues. The suspects fled in a Nissan SUV. The teen sustained a minor neck injury and was treated at Jacobi Hospital.
Another incident was reported on July 26 in front of 4026 White Plains Road, where a 38-year-old man was shoved to the ground as suspects tore his necklace from his neck. He suffered minor injuries.
The latest reported robbery occurred on August 2, when a 78-year-old man standing on Van Cortlandt Avenue was targeted by a single suspect who grabbed his necklace and ran off. The victim was not injured.
The NYPD is urging anyone with information about the suspects or the vehicles involved to come forward.
