NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Two armed robbers have mugged at least eight people, some violently, in northern Queens in recent weeks, police said Friday.
The NYPD released an image showing the two men they're searching for in the string of robberies since late December, with most of the robberies in the area around Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights and North Corona.
The most recent reported robbery was on the night of Jan. 15 in Corona, where a 34-year-old man was targeted around 9:30 p.m. outside a home on 41st Avenue, near Warren Street. One suspect pushed the victim against a door, while the other displayed a knife and stole his property, police said.
The same duo has been linked to at least seven robberies in December across Jackson Heights, North Corona, Corona and Elmhurst.
In a robbery at 90th Street and 35th Avenue in Jackson Heights on the morning of Dec. 27, a 55-year-old man was placed in a chokehold and robbed at knifepoint.
And on Dec. 26 in North Corona, a 29-year-old man was punched and pushed to the ground at Junction Boulevard and 37th Avenue before he too was robbed by the knife-wielding thieves, police said.
On Christmas Day, a 42-year-old man was repeatedly punched in the stomach and robbed of his wallet on 81st Street in Jackson Heights. Earlier that morning on Roosevelt Avenue in North Corona, another 42-year-old man had his wallet and cellphone stolen by the pair, who cut his jacket pocket and fled on a bike.
Three victims were also robbed in the early morning hours of Dec. 24. They include a 43-year-old man beaten on Junction Boulevard in North Corona; a 58-year-old man robbed at gunpoint on Forley Street in Elmhurst; and a 46-year-old man who was pushed to the ground on 97th Street in Corona.
None of the victims were seriously injured, police said. Several had to be treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.