Woodside coffee shop robber linked to heists at three local laundromats: cops

Police have linked a man who robbed a Dunkin’ Donuts shop in Woodside earlier this year to three recent heists at Astoria and Woodside laundromats.

Law enforcement sources said the most recent caper occurred at 5:27 a.m. on Nov. 12, when the bandit confronted a 68-year-old employee at a laundromat located at 55-02 Roosevelt Ave. in Woodside. The perpetrator pushed the employee away from the cash register, then removed $20 from the register and fled on foot.

Upon further investigation, detectives linked the suspect to the Sept. 16 heist at the Dunkin’ Donuts located at 58-01 Woodside Ave. In that caper, the bandit ordered a coffee from a female employee and paid for it.

When the worker opened the register, police said, the suspect attempted to grab the cash tray. Though the quick-thinking employee closed the register, the bandit then went behind the counter and removed three cash trays from registers, then fled the scene.

Authorities said the bandit similarly robbed a laundromat located at 31-11 31st St. in Astoria at 11:45 p.m. on Nov. 6. He removed $1,390 in cash from an unsecured, unattended location.

Finally, the crook also swiped $833 in cash from an unsecured register inside a laundromat at 47-51 47th St. in Woodside at 11:10 p.m. on Nov. 11.

Police described the suspect as a black male in his 20s or 30s who was last seen wearing a blue baseball cap, a black jacket and blue jeans.

The suspect can be seen in this security camera footage taken during the Nov. 12 laundromat heist.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips to the Crime Stoppers website or by texting 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential.