By Bill Parry
The NYPD was looking for a group of police impersonators who stole cash, an iPhone, and a wallet from two victims on two separate occasions in Corona.
Three men identified themselves as police officers July 16 when they pulled up to their first victim in an SUV just after 4 a.m., the cops said. The 26-year-old victim was walking on the sidewalk in front of 34-61 110th St., police said.
One of the men got out of the vehicle and identified himself as police and began to search the victim’s pockets, taking his iPhone and wallet with $30 and a bank card as another man exited the car and walked to the victim, the NYPD said. Both men headed back to the vehicle where the third man was behind the wheel and they drove off.
The trio stuck again July 28 when they drove up to a 43-year-old man around 12:30 a.m. at the intersection of 99th Street and 35th Avenue. All three left the vehicle, with one displaying a badge, and stole $40 before returning to the SVU and driving off, according to the NYPD.
Neither victim was injured. Police were looking for the three police impersonators and the light-colored SUV they were driving, which may be a Ford Escape, according to the NYPD.
Two of the men were described as white Hispanics between 19 and 25 years of age, while the third was identified as black between 19 and 25 years old.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
