Screenshot from video released by NYPD on Nov. 12 incident.
Nov. 17, 2017 By Nathaly Pesantez
Several laundromats in Woodside and Astoria were targeted in a string of robberies that were reported to police last week, along with a robbery that took place at a Woodside Dunkin Donuts two months ago—all involving one suspect—according to the NYPD.
A police investigation revealed that the suspect– believed to be a male black in his 20s–is at the center of at least four robberies, the first one taking place at Dunkin Donuts at 58-01 Woodside Ave. on Sept. 16 at around 6:00 a.m. In this incident, the suspect ordered and paid for a coffee, and then reached over the counter when the female employee opened the cash register, police said.
Dunkin Donuts at 58-01 Woodside Ave. (Google Maps)
The employee held him off initially, but the suspect made his way around the counter and stole three cash trays from the register before bolting from the spot, police said. The amount of money taken has not been determined yet.
A second incident was reported to police that took place on Nov. 6, when at around 11:45 p.m., a 42-year-old employee at New Wash World on 31-11 31st St. found that money was missing from the register, police said. Upon police investigation, it was determined that the suspect managed to go behind the unsecured counter and steal around $1,390.
Five days later, at L&Z Laundromat, located at 47-51 47th St., a 25-year-old employee also discovered cash missing from the register at around 11:10 p.m., police said. Around $833 was stolen from the spot, police found. Police linked the crime to the suspect.
47-51 47th St. (Google Maps)
The next morning, around 5:30 a.m., the suspect entered 55 Laundromat & Cleaners on the corner of 55th Street and Roosevelt Avenue and pushed a 68-year-old employee at the counter away from the register, and managed to take $20 from it before fleeing, police said. The employee was not seriously injured, and refused medical attention at the scene.
Police have released video and photos of the suspect from the Nov. 11 and Nov. 12 incidents. He was last seen wearing a blue baseball cap, a black jacket, and blue jeans.
Photo released by NYPD from Nov. 11 incident.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
