NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Armed robbers in a Mercedes-Benz have stolen nearly $200,000 in jewelry during a weeks-long crime spree targeting people on the streets of three New York City boroughs.
In each robbery, the two male suspects fled in a white Mercedes-Benz, police said. Surveillance images released Wednesday shows the vehicle—with New Jersey plates—as well as one of the masked and hooded men police are searching for.
No serious injuries were reported in the eight robberies, which stretch back to early September and span Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. In total, more than $190,000 worth of jewelry was reported stolen.
The latest robbery linked to the pair was early Monday morning in Rego Park, Queens, where a 36-year-old man was mugged at gunpoint at 95th Street and 62nd Drive shortly after 1 a.m. The suspects tried to steal his watch, but he fought back and they fled empty-handed in the Mercedes, police said.
Just two hours before that robbery, the pair targeted a 63-year-old man on Bell Boulevard in Oakland Gardens, Queens, punching him repeatedly in the face and stealing his wallet, police said. The victim suffered minor injuries.
The duo has also been linked to the robbery of a 47-year-old man on the Horace Harding Expressway in Douglaston, Queens, on the evening of Sept. 18. They stole his $20,000 watch, police said.
And on Sept. 15, they allegedly robbed a 33-year-old man of his $10,000 watch on McDonald Avenue in Gravesend, Brooklyn.
They even stormed into a 54-year-old man’s house in South Ozone Park on the evening of Sept. 13, cops said, but ultimately fled without stealing anything.
Their largest haul was on the morning of Sept. 12, when they allegedly robbed a 25-year-old man of his $90,000 watch and $200 cash in the Concourse section of the Bronx.
They also tried to break into a residence in the South Bronx on Sept. 5 by smashing a window with a rock, but they were unsuccessful, police said.
The first robbery linked to them was on the night of Sept. 3, when a 32-year-old man was robbed of a $70,000 necklace in Auburndale, Queens.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.