The NYPD is looking for a man in connection with a string of eight robberies that all occurred over the course of a month in Fresh Meadows.
One man has already been arrested in connection with the case.
From Dec. 9, to Dec. 24, the duo — police say there might be a third, but could not confirm — approached eight women in Fresh Meadows, all but one older than 40 years old, and grabbed their respective purses before fleeing, either on foot or in a car.
Pursuant to an ongoing investigation, Kyliek Washington, a 22-year-old man from St. Albans, was arrested on Dec. 24, the day of the eighth and final reported robbery. Washington was charged with robbery, grand larceny, possession of a forged instrument, two counts of identity theft, criminal possession of stolen property, theft of service, unlawful use of a credit card and unlawful possession of personal identification information.
In all eight robberies, victims only reported one man snatching their purse, according to the NYPD. Police could not confirm which person — Washington or the unidentified man — was the one allegedly grabbing the purses, or if they switched from robbery to robbery.
The first robbery occurred on Monday, Dec. 9, around 7 p.m., in the vicinity of 67th Avenue and 194th Lane. An individual approached a 44-year-old woman from behind and grabbed her purse. After a brief struggle for control of the bag, the woman fell to the ground and the man made off with her purse, according to the police.
About a week later, on Sunday, Dec. 15, around 1 p.m., an individual snatched a purse belonging to a 47-year-old woman, entered a silver car and sped off, cops say. The incident took place in the vicinity of 67th Avenue and Peck Avenue.
Later that day, around 3:15 p.m., an individual approached a 49-year-old woman from behind, grabbed her purse and ran off on foot, according to the authorities.
On Friday, Dec. 20, around 6:30 p.m., an individual approached a 67-year-old woman, grabbed her purse and shoved her to the ground, police say. The individual hopped into a black sedan and fled the scene. The woman later reported that that she had $350 in cash, a cellphone and two credit cards inside her purse. According to the NYPD, an investigation later revealed that one of the woman’s credit cards was used at a Sephora, located at 212-01 26th Ave. in Bay Terrace, about an hour later.
On Sunday, Dec. 22, the duo allegedly committed two robberies. The first occurred around 10 a.m., in the vicinity of 188th Street and 73rd Avenue. An individual approached a 44-year-old woman, grabbed her purse, pushed her to the ground and fled, according the NYPD. Then, around noon, in the vicinity of 199th Street and 69th Avenue, a 51-year-old woman reported that an individual grabbed her purse and fled in a sedan.
Two days later, on Christmas Eve, an individual grabbed a 40-year-old woman’s purse around 8:35 a.m. near Peck Avenue and 67th Avenue, police say.
Five minutes later, a 38-year-old woman was robbed of her purse around 190th Lane and 69th Avenue. Around 9:55 a.m. that same day, the police arrested Washington, according to the NYPD.
The unapprehended man wanted in connection with the robberies appears in the video below. He was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweater, a dark-colored jacket and blue jeans. The vehicles connected to robberies are described as a gray four-door Mercedes Benz and a dark-colored BMW.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident 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 CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.
