Police from the 109th Precinct in Flushing are still looking for two scooter-riding bandits who have targeted 22 victims in a string of grand larcenies that began nearly four months ago.
The NYPD said the perpetrators struck three more times in January than were previously reported.
On the night of Thursday, Jan. 8, a 38-year-old woman was in front of a store at 39-16 Prince St. in Flushing at 7 p.m. when two men approached her on a motorized scooter and snatched her purse before riding off in an unknown direction, p0lice said. The victim later discovered unauthorized charges had been made to her credit cards. How much was taken from her account has not been determined but the approximate value of the contents in her purse is approximately $3,000. The woman was not injured during the robbery.
Police say the same individuals struck twice in Murray Hill on the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 13. At 4:40 p.m. in the vicinity of 154th Avenue and 35th Avenue, a 57-year-old man was approached from behind by the two suspects on a scooter and snatched the victim’s bag from his shoulder before speeding off southbound on 154th Street toward Northern Boulevard, a block away. The man was not injured but his stolen property was valued at $630, police said.
An hour later, one of the suspects was riding solo when he allegedly struck again just over a mile to the west, where he rode up behind a 57-year-old woman near the intersection of Sanford Avenue and Kissena Boulevard and rammed her with the scooter causing her to fall to the ground. The assailant forcibly removed her purse before riding off southbound on Kissena Boulevard toward Franklin Avenue, police said. The victim was injured during her fall but did not need to be hospitalized. Authorities say the stolen property was valued at $5,500.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the two suspects from the first incident in Murray Hill and said they are the same men who targeted 19 men and women between Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, and Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. In each incident they rode up alongside their victims on a motorized scooter and snatched purses or bags before riding off. Many of the victims learned later that unauthorized charges were made to the credit cards.
During an incident on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2025, a 46-year-old woman was injured when she tried to break her fall, police said. She was transported to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital in Flushing, where she was treated for a minor injury to one of her hands. The NYPD released a surveillance image of the suspects riding away after injuring the woman.
A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to their arrest and indictment.
Anyone with information regarding these grand larceny incidents 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 strictly confidential.
Through Feb. 8, the 109th Precinct has reported 99 grand larcenies so far in 2026, 28 more than the 71 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 35.6%. According to the most recent CompStat report. Felony assaults are down in the precinct with 36 reported so far this year, ten fewer than the 46 reported at the same point in 2025, a decline of 21.7%, according to CompStat.
