Police from the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill are looking for a suspect who allegedly robbed the Ozone Park Food Pantry at knifepoint in broad daylight on Saturday, Nov. 22.
Police say a 50-year-old man who volunteers at the community pantry at Rockaway Park and Digby Place was approached by a stranger at noon. The perpetrator pulled out a knife and demanded food, police said, adding that he snatched food from a box before running off southbound on Digby Place toward 97th Avenue. The 50-year-old victim was not injured during the encounter.
The Cityline Ozone Park Civilian Patrol (COPCP) said that food distribution had already ended before the armed robbery occurred, while volunteers were cleaning up, with the remaining food placed on a table.
“An individual approached the area in an agitated manner and demanded food,” COPCP said in a statement. “Volunteers calmly explained that the pantry was closed and that the only items available were on the table. The individual took food from the table, then said he was not satisfied with those items and brandished a knife, making verbal threats to several volunteers. He then took a volunteer’s personal food and fled the scene.”
COPCP and the Ozone Park Block Association founded the Ozone Park Pantry in response to the rampant COVID-19 pandemic-related food crisis and have provided food to the community ever since.
“This was an upsetting and disturbing moment for our team,” COPCP said. “Pantry volunteers work outside in every condition, whether it is heat, rain, or the colder weather that is now beginning. They carry heavy boxes, sort through hundreds of pounds of food, guide lines, and assist seniors, all while showing patience, respect, and compassion to everyone who approaches them.”
The volunteers now face worsening conditions.
“As temperatures continue to drop, the work becomes harder, not easier, yet they continue to show up week after week because they care about the community and want to make sure families have enough to bring home,” the COPCP statement continued. “They do not deserve to face a weapon or be threatened under any circumstances. What happened was wrong on every level.”
The civilian patrol members responded immediately when volunteers called for help. They gathered essential information and assisted the NYPD, and remain confident the suspect will be located and held accountable.
“We stand fully with our pantry volunteers, who handled a frightening situation with calm and strength,” COPCP concluded. “We remain committed to supporting them and to ensuring that this incident does not discourage anyone who wants to serve this community.”
The NYPD released a surveillance image of the suspect and described him as having a light complexion with dark hair. He wore a dark gray hooded winter jacket, black ripped jeans, and black 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 robbery 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 kept confidential.
Through Nov. 30, the 102nd Precinct has reported 128 robberies so far this year, 32 fewer than the 160 reported at the same point in 2024, a decline of 20%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
