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Central Park Robbery Victim: Robber Didn't Want My Cell Phone

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Two men were robbed in Central Park this weekend, but the robber apparently decided he did not want the older cell phone one of the victims was carrying.

The gunpoint robbery happened around 12:35 a.m. Saturday on West Drive in the park near West 64th Street, police said.

Central Park Robbery Victim: Robber Didn't Want My Cell Phone

One of the robbers flashed a gun and told the men not to make noise or he would kill them, according to a New York Daily News report.

The robbers took a briefcase, a cellphone, and a wallet with what has been reported as $114 in cash.

But when one of the robbers saw victim Kevin Cook's 2010 LG Quantum cell phone, he looked at it, scoffed and gave it back, Cook told 1010 WINS. The phone was of the type where screen slides up to reveal a keyboard.

Cook, of Brooklyn, told 1010 WINS that he used the phone to call 911 when the robber returned it.

"He just took a look at it and he didn't recognize it at all. I just assumed that he couldn't make any money off of it. So he handed it back to me and a minute later I was able to call 911 and get the whole thing started," Cook said.

He said there turned out to be an unlikely silver lining for having an old phone.

"It's like, finally a pro for having something out of date," he said.

The armed robber was described as a black male in his early 20s, standing about 6 feet tall with a slim build, and wearing a dark green winter coat and blue jeans, police said.

The second robber was described as a Hispanic male in his late 20s, standing about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a medium build, police said.

Anyone with information was asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS, log onto the Crime Stoppers website, or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and enter TIP577.

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