Thieves Steal Car, Smokes in String of Robberies

Police are looking for three members of a robbery crew that struck throughout Manhattan and the Bronx. -Photo by NYPD

By Dan Gesslein

Bronx Voice

May 12, 2023 

BRONX - Cops are looking for a group of four thieves who have robbed everything from packages of cigarettes to a Mercedes throughout the Bronx and Manhattan. 

Police released surveillance video of three of the four men who are suspected to have gone on a crime spree in two different boroughs.

The first robbery took place in the South Bronx at around 10 pm on May 3. A 40-year-old man left his 2011 black Mercedes parked in front of 749 East 133 Street with the engine running. Four men entered the car and drove off. The car’s license plate is KWX7341.

Cops said the same crew struck again in Manhattan two days later. At around midnight on May 5, a 66-year-old man was standing in front of a Chelsea laundromat at 302 West 21 Street. Four men walked up to him and starting punching and kicking him throughout his body. As he lay on the sidewalk, the crew rumaged through his pockets and removed his iPhone and wallet containing credit cards. 

The victim suffered cuts to his left hand but refused medical attention at the scene. 

Cops say the same crew struck a store three hours later in the Garment District. At around 3:30 am on May 5, three of the crew stepped into the store located at 584 8th Avenue. One of the members walked up to the counter and simulated to the 23-year-old worker that he had a gun. Then the other two members went behind the counter and removed smoking paraphernalia.  

Cops said three of the suspects fled but one was later arrested. Police released surveillance video of the three still at large who were caught on camera inside the smoke shop. 

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips. 

All calls are strictly confidential.