Police are still searching for two moped-riding suspects behind a three-month-long chain-snatching spree that has targeted teenagers and women across multiple neighborhoods, including Ridgewood’s 104th Precinct.
Among the victims was a 64-year-old woman who successfully fought off an attempted robbery in front of Maspeth Federal Savings Bank in broad daylight.
The pair is believed to be responsible for at least 23 robberies, in which they ride up on a moped, snatch jewelry—primarily necklaces—from victims, and flee the scene. Several incidents have resulted in minor injuries. In addition to the 104th Precinct, the suspects have struck in the 102nd, 108th, and 110th Precincts, as well as in five Brooklyn precincts and one in Manhattan.
The duo first struck in the 104th Precinct on May 1, when they rode up alongside a 17-year-old girl who was walking near the intersection of Cooper Avenue and 71st Place in Glendale and snatched her necklace and sped away northbound on 71st Place toward Central Avenue.
The next day, the perps rode up on a 13-year-old boy who was walking past a house at 82-49 Penelope Ave. in Middle Village when one of the men pulled out a knife and placed the young teen in a chokehold before removing his necklace. They sped off eastbound on Penelope Avenue toward Woodhaven Boulevard.
The two suspects struck again at noon on Sunday, May 4, when they rode up behind the 64-year-old woman as she walked past the Maspeth Federal Savings Bank at 56-18 69th Street, just north of the Long Island Expressway, and tried to steal her necklace. The perpetrators were unsuccessful and rode off southbound on 69th Street toward Grand Avenue. The victims in the 104th Precinct were not injured during the encounters.
A reward of $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to their arrest.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents 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 confidential.
