The NYPD has released the identity of a Brooklyn man who is wanted in connection to an armed robbery at the Atlantis Fresh Market in South Richmond Hill during the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 14.
Investigators have determined that Jose Valentin, 33, of Liberty Avenue in Cypress Hills, approached a 20-year-old man in front of 134-30 Atlantic Avenue, pulled out a handgun, and demanded that he open the door of the store. Once inside, Valentin allegedly removed $275 worth of merchandise before fleeing southbound on the Van Wyck Expressway service road. Police from the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill responded to the location and reported that there were no injuries as a result of the armed robbery. Valentin is known to frequent areas in the confines of the 102nd Precinct and the 104th Precinct in Ridgewood.
The NYPD released surveillance images of Valentin on Wednesday and described him as having a light complexion, 5’8”, 200 pounds with short brown hair and brown eyes. 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 May 26, the 102nd Precinct has reported 75 robberies so far in 2024, a dozen more than the 63 reported at the same point last year, and an increase of 19%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
