Police released photos taken in Astoria of three men who robbed 33 different rideshare drivers over the course of two months.
According to police, between April 3 and June 3, three unknown men requested taxis through different rideshare services 33 times throughout the city. Once they were inside the cabs, the suspects would tell the taxi drivers that they wished to change destinations but that their phones were not working, ultimately asking to use the driver’s phone to change the directions to the new destination.
When the suspects had the phone in hand, authorities said, they would access the drivers’ accounts and transfer unauthorized funds out of the drivers’ accounts to unknown accounts. One more than one occasion, the suspects would threaten force when taking the driver’s phone.
On June 11, the NYPD disseminated photos of the suspects obtained from a surveillance camera located at 39th Avenue and 30th Street in Astoria.
Cops described as black men between the ages of 16 and 25 years old. The first suspect was last seen wearing a black baseball hat, a multicolored hooded sweatshirt, and light blue jeans. The second was last seen wearing a backwards black baseball hat and a black hooded sweatshirt. The third suspect was last seen wearing a black du-rag, black sweatshirt, and headphones.
Anyone with information in regard to the identity of these individuals 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 or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
