Police are looking for a man who treated himself to massages at beauty salons in Ridgewood on Saturday, then assaulted and robbed workers when they wouldn’t accept the counterfeit C-notes that he offered as payment.
The NYPD said the first incident occurred at 10:10 a.m. on July 13 inside a beauty and nail salon located at 810 Fairview Ave.
According to law enforcement sources, the male suspect visited the salon, received a massage and presented a 52-year-old female employee with a fake $100 bill as payment.
When she refused to accept it, cops said, the man went on the attack, striking her and another salon worker, a 51-year-old woman.
Authorities said the suspect then removed three cellphones, $200 in real cash and a camera receiver from the salon. He fled the scene in an unknown direction.
The employees were not seriously injured, police noted.
More than two hours later, cops said, the crook received another massage from the Sunshine Foot Spa at 558 Grandview Ave. at about 12:41 p.m. on July 13. As in the first incident, the indulgent suspect attempted to pay for it with a phony $100 bill.
When a 39-year-old female employee confronted him about the fake cash, authorities noted, the suspect grabbed her by the neck, then proceeded to remove two cellphones and fled the spa.
The foot spa worker was also not seriously injured, police said.
Both incidents were reported to the 104th Precinct. On July 14, the NYPD released video footage of the robber. Cops described him as a man last seen wearing a black shirt and black shorts.
Anyone with information regarding the suspect’s whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA), visit the Crime Stoppers website or send a direct message on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
