Police: Suspected Serial East Side Robber Strikes In Midtown
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Police are stepping up efforts to arrest a man accused of going on an armed robbery spree in Manhattan.
Investigators say the man who is suspected in a string of East Side robberies has now struck again in Midtown.
In each incident, the suspect has either displayed a knife or simulated a gun and demanded money, police said. He has taken cash from the registers each time and run off.
The latest incident happened around 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, police said. The suspect walked into the Iris Green Cleaners at 226 E. 53rd St., simulated having a weapon, and made off with about $200 cash, police said.
Police: Serial East Side Robber Strikes In Midtown
Shop owners in the Midtown neighborhood are wondering when the man will be caught or if they're his next target.
"I'm scared. I come at night, 2 o'clock here, nobody is here. I'm scared," one shop owner told 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck.
"If he shows the gun, we cannot do anything," another said.
A clerk at East Village Fruit and Vegetable told CBS2's Andrea Grymes the suspect came in around 1:45 a.m. Tuesday demanding money, but he pushed him away and the man left with nothing.
"I said, 'I'm not giving you anything,'" the clerk said.
Police say in total, the man has stolen nearly $3,000.
The earlier robberies happened at the following times and locations:
-Around 3:25 a.m. Thursday at One's Fruit and Grocery, 315 First Ave. The suspect took $400.
-Around 10:20 p.m. Saturday, again at One's Fruit and Grocery. The suspect took $950.
-At 2:16 p.m. Sunday at I.Q. Décor, 242 E. 14th St. The suspect took $366.
-Around 3 a.m. Monday at I Green Market, 271 First Ave. The suspect took $600.
-Around 5:05 p.m. Monday at 66 Avenue A. The suspect took $200.
-Around 9:05 p.m. Monday at New Up and Up Laundry, 13 Avenue A. The suspect took $250.
-Around 1:45 a.m. Tuesday at East Village Fruit and Vegetable, 229 Avenue B. The suspect got nothing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. You can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or texting tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
