Cops need the public’s help in finding a group of teenagers responsible for a robbery pattern across Lower Manhattan over the past week.
Law enforcement sources said the trouble began at 2 a.m. on April 10, when the band of brutes approached a 58-year-old man as he slept on a bench inside the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall subway station.
According to police, the teens demanded money from the victim. When he declined, they punched him about the head, then removed his wallet and fled the scene.
Cops said the victim suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention.
Four days later, at 7:05 p.m. on April 14, the suspects confronted a 41-year-old man sitting on board a Queens-bound E train as it approached the Chambers Street-World Trade Center subway station.
Authorities said the teens grabbed the man’s cellphone and ran off the train. The victim then gave chase and grabbed a female who was part of the group, who then punched the victim in the face. The robbers then fled in an unknown direction with the man’s property.
A short time later, at 7:30 p.m. that same day, one of the teenage robbers swiped a cellphone out of the hands of a 41-year-old woman in the area of Fulton and West Streets. Police said the crook was last seen running toward the World Trade Center, where he was last observed fleeing with other teens in an unknown direction.
On April 16, the NYPD released photos of the perpetrators involved in the capers.
Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
