An East Elmhurst man was beaten and robbed in his home nearly two months ago and on Wednesday, the NYPD asked the public for help in identifying his assailant.
The incident occurred during the early morning hours of Wednesday, Jan. 17, when the 38-year-old victim invited a stranger into his residence in the vicinity of Astoria Boulevard and 104th Street at around 4:30 a.m.
Once inside, the suspect allegedly struck the victim multiple times before taking his cell phone, electric bicycle, and $100 in cash, police said, adding that the total value of the property taken was approximately $915.
The victim suffered minor injuries during the attack but refused medical attention at the crime scene.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the portly perp and described him as 5’7” tall and 170 pounds with a light complexion and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and black pants.
A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to his arrest.
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 at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Through Mar. 3, the 115th Precinct, where the crime took place, has reported 61 robberies so far in 2024, 19 more than the 42 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 45.2%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Assaults are also on the rise in the 115th with 84 reported so far this year, 5 more than the 79 reported at the same point in 2023, an increase of 6.3%, according to CompStat.
