Detectives are looking for a group of thieves who robbed several people in Queens throughout October.
The pattern started on Oct. 2 — at 8:55 p.m. that day, a 48-year-old man was walking northbound on 173rd Street in Jamaica when he was approached by four men in their teens or early 20s. One of the men, who was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, pulled out a knife and demanded the victim’s wallet.
The suspects pushed the victim to the ground, took his wallet from his pocket, which contained $360 in cash and multiple credit and debit cards, and fled the scene on foot eastbound on Jamaica Avenue. The victim did not sustain any visible injuries and refused medical attention at the scene.
The suspects struck again at 8:45 p.m. on Oct. 5. At this time, a 60-year-old man was walking down 171st Street when he was approached by three unknown men. The suspects punched the victim in the head multiple times, causing him to be knocked unconscious.
The crooks stole the victim’s Samsung cellphone and $35 cash from his person and then fled on foot heading northbound on 171st Street. The victim sustained a head injury and was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/ Queens in stable condition.
Next, at 8:45 p.m. on Oct. 7, a 61-year-old man was approached by the four suspects at the corner of 90th Avenue and 168th Street. The suspects punched the victim multiple times in the head and took his wallet, which contained $1,670 in cash, and his iPhone 7. The suspects then fled the scene on foot. The victim sustained a minor injury to his head and refused medical attention at the scene.
At 9:45 p.m. on Oct. 8, a 41-year-old man was exiting his vehicle, which was parked in front of 89-26 168th Place, when he was approached by three of the suspects. One of the suspects punched the victim in the head while the other two took $240 in cash, credit/debit cards and the victim’s TLC license.
The suspects fled the location on foot heading northbound on 168thPlace. The victim did not sustain any injuries and refused medical attention at the scene.
Finally, it was reported that at 9:05 p.m. on Oct. 12 an 81-year-old man was walking near the corner of 90th Avenue and 171st Street when he was approached by three suspects. One of the suspects punched the victim in the head, causing him to fall to the ground, and then began to punch and kick him throughout his body.
The thieves then forcibly took the victim’s wallet, which contained $740 cash, a debit card, identification and lotto tickets, and ripped the victim’s clothing. The suspects then fled on foot heading southbound on 172nd Street toward Jamaica Avenue. The victim sustained injuries to his head and was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/ Queens in stable condition.
The NYPD released footage of the suspects taken from the night of the first incident on Oct. 2:
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 or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.
