An A train rider was beaten and robbed by a mugger at the Rockaway Boulevard subway station in Ozone Park on the morning of Friday, Sept. 6.
The 49-year-old victim was standing on the northbound platform of the station at Liberty Avenue and Cross Bay Boulevard at around 8:40 a.m., when a stranger approached him and engaged him in conversation.
The assailant suddenly put the man in a headlock, punched him multiple times in his face with a closed fist and forcibly removed $280 in cash, police said. Police from the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park and Transit District 23 are looking for the perpetrator, who exited the station and ran away northbound on 97th Street.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect on Saturday and described him as having a medium complexion, a slim build, a beard and a mustache. He wore a gray hooded sweatshirt, blue sweatpants and white sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding this robbery investigation 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 Sept. 1, the 106th Precinct has reported 138 robberies so far in 2024, six more than the 132 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 4.5%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Assaults are also on the rise, with 266 reported so far this year, 30 more than the 236 reported at the same point in 2023, and an increase of 12.7%, according to CompStat.
