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Police: Suspect Arrested In String Of NYC Subway Robberies

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Straphangers were breathing a little easier on their way home Thursday night after police announced they arrested a suspect in connection with a series of subway robberies.

Eric Gay, 43, of Brooklyn, is charged with three counts of robbery. Investigators believe he may be responsible for as many as eight muggings since Sunday.

As CBS 2's Alice Gainer reported, each time, the suspect allegedly walked up to his victims, said he had a gun with a silencer and then robbed them.  However, they also said none of the victims actually saw the weapon the attacker claimed to have.

The attacks took place in the East Village, West Village, Queens and Brooklyn, police said.  Items the suspect stole ranged from iPods to cellphones, cash and MetroCards.

A break in the case came Wednesday night after Gay allegedly stole an Android phone at the F train station on Avenue U in Sheepshead Bay, Gainer reported.

Police then used an app to track the victim's phone and canvassed the nearby area with a witness. Police said they were able to apprehend the suspect when the witness spotted him exiting a building.

Police: Subway Robbery Suspect In Custody

Subway riders were on edge as they waited for police to nab the suspect.

"Every time I'm on the subway, I look back every five seconds just to see who's behind me and stuff like that," straphanger Thomas Condello said.

Gay was taken to Kings County Hospital Center and was transferred to the Brooklyn Robbery Squad as soon as he was medically cleared, Gainer reported.

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