A Bronx man was arrested Tuesday and booked at the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst for allegedly robbing a 54-year-old R train rider at knifepoint earlier this month.
Matthew Siltz, 18, of East 211th Street in the Van Cortlandt Park section of the borough, was taken into custody and charged with robbery for approaching the victim, who was standing on the southbound R platform inside the Grand Avenue-Newton subway station, at around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9, and taking his iPhone.
Acting in concert with an accomplice, Siltz allegedly removed the victim’s cell phone and the two alleged crooks fled on foot while being chased by the victim through the station, police said. One of the assailants pulled out a knife and threatened the victim who stopped chasing them.
The perpetrators ran out of the station onto Queens Boulevard and fled in an unknown direction.
The 54-year-old victim was not injured during the robbery. As Siltz awaits arraignment, police from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst continue to look for his accomplice who remains at large.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website, on Twitter @NYPDTips.
As of Jan. 14, the 110th Precinct has reported 18 robberies so far in 2024, nine more than at the same point last year, an increase of 100%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
