The NYPD is looking for a man behind three subway robberies — only one of which was successful — in Queens earlier this month. The suspect attempted the robberies, hours apart, along the F and E train lines, according to the police.
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, around 3:15 p.m., an unidentified man walked up to a 49-year-old man inside the Forest Hills/71st Ave. subway station and punched him in the face, according to the NYPD. The suspect then reached into the 49-year-old’s pants pocket but didn’t take any of the victim’s property.
After attempting to rob the man, the thief opened his jacket to show that he had a knife, according to police. When a 39-year-old woman intervened in the attempted robbery, the man grabbed her by the wrist and demanded she hand over her cellphone, cops said.
When she refused, the man ran off in an unknown direction. Both the 49-year-old man and 39-year-old woman refused medical attention.
A few hours later, around 5:25 p.m., the same man approached 63-year-old man inside the Sutphin Boulevard station in Jamaica, according to the NYPD. He reached into the elderly man’s pocket, grabbing $549 in cash, and ran out of the subway system, police said.
No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this incident can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
