NYPD: Armed Robbers Targeting People With Pricey Jewelry
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Brazen robbers targeting innocent people have been caught on camera in a string of robberies throughout New York City.
The NYPD wants your help finding them.
Police say the men struck 10 times since Aug. 26 in Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx. Over three months, the crew allegedly stole more than $92,000 worth of jewelry, watches and cash from New Yorkers in the early morning hours.
Most of the robberies involved two suspects. Some included a third man.
Two of the incidents turned violent - A 37-year-old man was hit in the face on Sept. 16 in Spuyten Duyvil, and most recently, a 30-year-old man was kicked on Oct. 14 in Inwood. That incident, which took place at a BP gas station, was caught on video.
In the video, three men hold the victim at gunpoint, kicking him while he's on the ground before taking his chain and Rolex and taking off in a white SUV waiting across the street.
Police also want to question a woman in relationship to the robbery spree, which started back on Aug. 26. In that incident, they approached a 30-year-old male and 29-year-old female getting out of their car at 4 a.m. They held them at gunpoint, making off with $200 in cash. In that incident, they drove off in a burgundy Kia.
The next day, they robbed over $20,000 from a motorist parked at a gas station around the corner from the BP. Ten days later, they stole $14,000 in jewelry from a man parked in front of a nightclub four blocks away, again around 4 a.m.
"I'm scared for people that I know that do live in this area and come here early in the morning, it's not something you want coming in to work," said Inwood resident Cynthia Castillo. She works at he family's import business nearby. Her father gets into work around the same time the robbery happened.
"I want to make sure my dad is OK, so I have to come to work with him, and make sure that somebody is here with him," she said.
"There are people inside the club and they go out and they follow them. That's what I heard. It's bad when you go out, you never know," Herman Castillo said.
"It's like two guys and a girl, and they set up people. It's crazy, people have to be careful," said a motorist named Tristan.
In most instances, they're going after jewelry.
"Don't come out here looking flashy," Tristan said.
Anyone with information about the robbery spree is asked to call NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via the Crime Stoppers website, by Tweeting @NYPDTips or by texting a tip to 274637.
