Police in Manhattan are on the hunt for a perp who allegedly robbed two people at gunpoint in separate incidents last month — snagging money and a Cartier watch along the way.
According to law enforcement sources, the first incident occurred on Aug. 13 at approximately 12:50 p.m. near a church on 37 West 116 St. in Harlem. The victim, a 19-year-old man, met with two other men at the location to exchange clothes before the situation suddenly became violent.
One of the two men displayed a gun while demanding the 19-year-old victim fork over his chain and clothes. It is not clear if the victim immediately complied, but while the perp continued to hold the gun, his accomplice forcibly removed the victim’s jewelry and clothes, police said.
Both robbers then fled north toward West 117 Street with the stolen property.
About a week later, the robbers struck again on Aug. 22 at approximately 5:45 p.m., authorities said. This time, the victim was a female.
A 24-year-old woman met with the two suspects on the mezzanine of the Canal Street subway station in SoHo to sell them a watch. In a similar fashion to the other incident, one of the robbers whipped out a gun and demanded money from the victim, police said.
The perps were able to snag the woman’s Cartier Santos watch and an unknown amount of money before fleeing the station to parts unknown.
No injuries were reported in either robbery. It is not known right now if the suspects knew their victims before committing the robberies.
Police have so far arrested one of the robbers — a 16-year-old — and charged him in connection with the robbery pattern. Police could not confirm yet if he was the suspect using the gun in either of the crimes.
The NYPD released photos and video on Sunday of the second suspect, who remains at large.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding either of these robberies can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
