By Tom Tracy
Two young thugs are being sought for beating and robbing a 58-year-old woman as she rode an F train through the heart of the borough. The woman told police that she was approaching the Avenue I station on a Manhattan-bound F train as it rumbled high above McDonald Avenue, when the thieves jumped her. The thieves reportedly punched the woman, took her bag and then fled the train at the Avenue I station. They then ran down into the station over and then back up onto the Coney Island bound side, not realizing that their photos had just been taken by a MTA surveillance camera. Their victim, police said, was not seriously harmed. The theft, police said, took place at 7:30 p.m. on February 11. As they distribute photos of the thieves, cops are hoping to take the two teens into custody. Despite this incident, crime in subway has declined over the years, according to studies from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Officials said that crime on the 200 plus miles of subway throughout the city had dropped 13 percent in 2007 when compared to 2006. “The NYPD has done an extraordinary job of keeping our customers safe,” MTA CEO Elliot Sander told reporters at an event last month. “Combined with the tens of billions invested in the system, low crime has helped us increase rider-ship by 40 percent in the last decade.” Felony crime in the 66th Precinct – where the mugging took place, has increased since the beginning of the year. The number of robberies in the precinct, which covers Borough Park, Kensington and some of Midwood, have jumped from 33 in March, 2007 to 37 this year, as of March 9. Police described the teens as black males between 14 and 17-years-old. Both are believed to be between 5’8” and 5’10”, although only one of them is described as having a “thick build.” Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this robbery to come forward. Calls can be made to the NYPD CrimeStoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
