Police from the 104th Precinct are looking for a moped-riding armed robber who targeted a 62-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man near the intersection of Grand Avenue and 72nd Place in Maspeth last month.
Police say the victims were approached by the suspect just before 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, when he rode up alongside them and forcibly removed the woman’s purse. He then pulled out a firearm and pistol-whipped the man on the head and snatched his backpack before riding off northbound on 72nd Place toward 51st Avenue. The victims refused medical attention at the scene.
Investigators say it was just the start of a one-man crime spree in two other Queens police precincts.
On Thursday, Oct. 2, a woman was walking in front of a home at 40-15 76th St. in Elmhurst at 12:15 p.m. when the suspect approached her on the moped, pulled out a firearm, and attempted to remove her purse, according to the NYPD. A struggle ensued and the suspect pistol-whipped her in the head and struck her on the arm causing a laceration, police said. The assailant forcibly removed her purse and rode off traveling southbound on 76th Street toward Broadway.
Police from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst responded to a 911 call of an assault in progress and found the injured woman. EMS transported her to Elmhurst Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.
Police say the suspect targeted another elderly woman in the 110th Precinct two days later.
On Saturday, Oct. 4, the suspect allegedly rode up alongside a 71-year-old woman in front of a home at 83-19 Cornish Ave. in Elmhurst at noon, pulled out a handgun and demanded her purse. A struggle ensued, and the perpetrator struck her in the head, causing a laceration, police said. He then shoved the woman, causing her to fall. He grabbed her purse and rode off southbound on Cornish Avenue towards Queens Boulevard.
EMS responded and transported the injured woman to Elmhurst Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.
Just over an hour later, the suspect targeted another elderly woman near 159th Street and 33rd Avenue in Murray Hill.
Police say the suspect approached his 79-year-old victim on the moped, pulled out a firearm and demanded her purse, and she complied. The suspect rode away northbound on 159th Street toward Bowne Park.
Police from the 109th Precinct responded to the scene, but this time, the victim was not injured.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect from inside a convenience store. He wore a helmet, a black sweatshirt, beige pants and white sneakers.
A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to his arrest and indictment.
Anyone with information regarding this assault investigation 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 confidential.
Through Oct. 5, the 104th Precinct has reported 119 robberies so far in 2025, 41 fewer than the 160 reported at the same point last year, a decline of 25.6%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Felony assaults are also down in the precinct with 226 reported so far this year, a half dozen fewer than the 232 reported at the same point in 2024, a decline of 2.6%, according to CompStat.
Through Oct. 5, the 110th Precinct has reported 323 robberies so far in 2025, 83 fewer than the 406 reported at the same point last year, a decrease of 20.4%, according to CompStat. Felony assaults are also down in the precinct, with 457 reported so far in 2025, 180 fewer than the 637 reported at the same point last year, a decline of 28.3%, according to CompStat.
Through Oct. 5, the 109th Precinct has reported 183 robberies so far this year, 61 fewer than the 244 reported at the same point in 2024, a decrease of 25%, according to CompStat.
