A knife-wielding purse snatcher has been preying on women in several robberies in Corona this month.
Police from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst and the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights are on the lookout for the suspect who most recently struck at the corner of Northern Boulevard and 101st Street on the night of Saturday, April 16.
A 40-year-old woman was walking near the intersection when the unidentified man approached her from behind, pulled out a knife and physically grabbed her handbag containing around $100 in cash before running off eastbound on Northern Boulevard, police said.
The victim was not injured.
A second incident occurred on the night of Friday, April 8, as a 30-year-old woman was walking up the stairs of her home near 98th Street and 37th Avenue. The suspect approached her from behind and snatched her purse containing $200 in cash and a cellphone, police said. The suspect ran off northbound on 98th Street and the victim was unharmed.
Two days earlier, a 57-year-old woman was walking in front of 108-13 42nd Ave. a couple of blocks north of Flushing Meadows Corona Park just before 3 p.m. when the suspect approached her from behind and grabbed her bag containing credit cards and approximately $145 in cash, police said. The suspect took off eastbound on 42nd Avenue and the victim was unharmed.
The NYPD released video surveillance of the suspect as he walked near Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the first incident. He is described as a dark-skinned man in his 20s with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie with New York across the chest, a black winter hat, light blue ripped jeans, black sneakers and he had a black bag slung across his shoulder.
Anyone with information in regard to the identity of the suspects 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 CrimeStoppers website at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
