Bronx detectives need the public’s help in finding the brazen bandit responsible for six robberies targeting senior men at apartment buildings across the borough over the past three weeks.
The suspect was caught on camera during the most recent incident, which occurred on Sept. 22, accosting a 90-year-old man and stealing his cellphone and $150 in cash inside the lobby of an apartment building near the corner of Cruger Avenue and Pelham Parkway South.
Law enforcement sources said the culprit has since been linked to five knifepoint robberies in the Bronx dating back to Sept. 8, as well as a sixth incident that occurred back in May.
In each caper, cops said, the crook approached the senior victims from behind, often displaying a knife and sometimes shoving the victims against a wall or to the floor. The perpetrator then rifled through the victim’s pockets, removing cash, their wallets and/or cellphones before fleeing.
The six additional incidents, as police described in a Sept. 28 alert, are as follows:
- The suspect robbed a 79-year-old man at knifepoint inside an apartment building in the area of Hollis and Brady Avenues at 5:25 p.m. on May 3, holding his weapon against the victim’s throat. After demanding money, the crook stole $3,000 in cash from the victim, then fled the scene.
- The robber attacked a 76-year-old man as he walked up a stairwell inside an apartment building near the corner of Webb Avenue and West 197th Street in Kingsbridge Heights at 9 p.m. on Sept. 8. Cops said he pushed the victim from behind and shoved his head against the wall. The crook then took $40 in cash from the victim’s pocket and fled.
- The perpetrator accosted a 78-year-old man in front of an apartment building near the corner of Barker Avenue and Thwaites Place in Allerton at 7:40 p.m. on Sept. 12. Police said the suspect shoved the man to the ground, then removed $20 in cash from his pockets.
- The suspect robbed a 68-year-old man in front of an apartment house near the corner of Grand Avenue and West 190th Street in Fordham Manor at 1:20 a.m. on Sept. 16. Law enforcement sources said the culprit struck the back of the man’s head, causing him to fall to the ground. He then removed the victim’s wallet and fled the scene. The victim suffered a facial bruise, but refused medical attention.
- The following day, the perpetrator attacked a 72-year-old man in the same location at about 3:05 p.m. on Sept. 17, shoving him to the ground and displaying a knife in the process. The perpetrator then stole the man’s wallet from his pocket and fled the scene.
- The crook attacked a 66-year-old man as he departed a Bx19 bus near the corner of 3rd Avenue and East 149th Street in the South Bronx at 8 p.m. on Sept. 18. He shoved the man from behind, pushed him to the ground and then displayed a knife. The suspect removed the victim’s cellphone and wallet before fleeing.
Police described the robber as a man in his 20s with a medium complexion and a medium build. During the most recent caper, he was shown wearing a red New York Yankees baseball cap, a white surgical mask, a white polo shirt, black pants and dark-colored New Balance sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts 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 Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
