Police from several Queens precincts are searching for three men who were behind a string of robberies last month. Two of the incidents occurred in the 106th Precinct in Forest Hills beginning on the night of Wednesday, Sept. 20. A 65-year-old man was walking along a residential block in the vicinity of 128th Street and 107th Avenue in South Richmond Hill at around 7:20 p.m., when two strangers approached him and shoved him into a driveway before forcibly removing his wallet, which contained his credit cards and $125 in cash. The suspects then jumped into a dark-colored SUV and sped off in an unknown direction, police said.
The two men struck again in the 106th Precinct on Monday, Sept. 25, at around 8:30 a.m. This time, they were joined by a third man as they came up behind a 51-year-old man who was walking in the vicinity of 118th Street and 107th Avenue in South Richmond Hill. They forcibly removed his wallet and cell phone before driving off in a red SUV, police said.
Investigators determined that the same three men struck earlier that morning at around around 2:00 a.m., when they approached a 49-year-old man as he walked in the vicinity of Creskill Place and 97th Avenue near the Van Wyck Expressway in Jamaica, within the confines of the 103rd Precinct. The assailants punched him in the chest and forcibly removed $500 in cash from the victim and drove away in a dark-colored SUV.
Just over three hours later, two of the robbers returned to South Richmond Hill, where they came up behind a 48-year-old man as he walked in the vicinity of 132nd Street and 95th Avenue. Police from the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill reported that the two suspects grabbed him from behind and forcibly removed his personal property and cell phone before speeding off in the SUV in an unknown direction
The two suspects returned to the 102nd Precinct during the early morning hours of Thursday, Sept. 28, where they found a 51-year-old man walking in the vicinity of 132nd Street and Atlantic Avenue in South Richmond Hill. They forcibly removed $45 in cash before running off in an unknown direction.
None of the victims were injured during the robbery spree, according to the authorities.
The NYPD released video surveillance of the two main suspects on Wednesday and described them as having medium complexions, approximately 18 to 25 years of age and around 5’3” to 5’8” tall. In surveillance photos from one of the incidents, one of the suspects wore a black hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and black sneakers while the other man wore a gray hoodie, black sweatpants and tan flip flops.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Through Oct. 8, the 106th Precinct reported 164 robberies so far in 2023, 10 less than the 174 reported at the same period last year, marking a decrease of 5.7%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Robberies are also down in the 102nd Precinct, with 140 incidents reported so far this year, 22 fewer than at the same point last year for a decline of 13.6%, according to Compstat.
Robbery incidents are also trending lower in the 103rd Precinct, with 284 cases reported so far this year, 21 fewer than the 305 reported at the same point last year, down 6.9%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
