Cops are looking for a pair of crooks behind a recent series of robberies across Elmhurst and Jackson Heights.
Police said that the pattern started on Aug. 2. At 5 a.m. that day, a 34-year-old man was walking home near the corner of 42nd Avenue and Warren Street in Elmhurst, when two unidentified males came from behind and knocked him to the ground.
The men proceeded to punch and kick him before taking his wallet, which contained cash and credit cards, law enforcement sources noted. The suspects then fled in unknown direction.
The victim sustained minor injuries as a result of the incident, police reported.
Authorities said the pair struck again two weeks later on Aug. 16. At 4:30 a.m., they approached a 52-year-old man from behind, who was walking home in front of a home on 87th Street near 35th Avenue in Jackson Heights.
According to police, the crooks pushed the man to the ground and proceeded to punch and kick him before taking off with his cellphone and $40. The victim suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
The pattern continued at 1 a.m. on Aug. 17. During this time, authorities noted, the suspects attacked a 36-year-old man from behind in front of a home on 91st Street between 37th and Elmhurst avenues in Jackson Heights.
After knocking him to the ground, cops said, the thieves stole the victim’s necklace and fled in an unknown direction. EMS arrived at the scene and took the victim to NYC Health & Hospitals/Elmhurst in stable condition.
Police said that the next incident took place at 3 a.m. on Aug. 18. The suspects grabbed a 57-year-old man from behind in front of a residence on Elmhurst Avenue off 91st Street, threw him to the ground and took his cellphone and credit cards. The victim was not seriously injured as a result of this incident.
Finally, at 3:20 a.m. on Aug. 22, the crooks approached a 37-year-old male victim behind a home on 92nd Street off Elmhurst Avenue and removed his cellphone from his back pocket. When the victim tried to retrieve his phone, the suspects punched him and removed his wallet in the process.
The pair fled the location with $200 as well as the cellphone. The victim was not seriously injured as a result of this incident.
Police released photos of the suspects taken at a bodega in the Bronx, located at 585 Southern Blvd., where they used a victim’s credit card.
Anyone with information in regard to the identity of these males is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are kept strictly confidential.