Police from two Queens precincts are looking for a three-man robbery crew who have been targeting moped riders for most of the summer.
Police say the first incident occurred on the night of Monday, June 30, at approximately 11:35 p.m. as a rider was traveling eastbound on 107th Avenue in the 106th Precinct. Two strangers approached him and struck him in the head with a chain, and forcefully removed his moped at knifepoint, police said. The victim sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene by EMS.
They struck again within the confines of the 106th Precinct just after midnight on Thursday, July 3, when the duo approached a 31-year-old man who was stopped on his moped at 106th Street and Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park and threatened him with a knife before taking his moped, police said. The victim was not injured.
The armed robbers ventured into the 102nd Precinct during the early morning of Sunday, July 20, when they approached a 22-year-old man as he parked his moped at 101st Avenue and Drew Street in Ozone Park just before 1 a.m. and instructed him to step away from the vehicle. One of the perpetrators threatened him with a knife while the other mounted his moped, and they both fled the scene in an unknown direction, police said. The victim was not injured.
The next three incidents all occurred back in the 106th Precinct when the third suspect joined the other two and approached a 28-year-old man who was sitting on his moped at 122nd Street and Liberty Avenue in Richmond Hill. One of the suspects was on a moped while his accomplices were on foot. They ordered the victim to get off his moped and the two jumped on and rode off in an unknown direction. The victim was not harmed.
On the evening of Thursday, Aug. 7, a 55-year-old man was stopped on his moped at Rockaway Boulevard and 103rd Street in Ozone Park at 6:45 p.m. when the trio forcibly removed him from his moped and rode off with it, police said. The victim was not injured.
About 15 minutes later, the three men approached a moped rider who was riding westbound on Linden Boulevard. One of the perpetrators removed the keys to his moped while another threatened him with a knife, and one rode off with his moped,police said. The victim was not injured.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspects. One has a dark complexion and was last seen wearing dark shorts, dark sandals and a black hooded sweatshirt. The second individual has a medium complexion and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue shorts and sneakers. The third man is described as having a dark complexion, who wore dark sweatpants, a dark hoodie and tan sandals.
A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to their arrest and indictment.
Anyone with information regarding these robberies is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 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 Aug. 17, the 106th Precinct has reported 119 robberies so far in 2025, eight fewer than the 127 reported at the same point last year, a decline of 6.3%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Robberies are also down in the 106th Precinct, which reported 86 robberies so far this year, 22 fewer than the 108 reported at the same point in 2024, a decrease of 20.4%, according to CompStat
