NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Police released photos Wednesday as part of their search for a pair of thieves who have been accosting women across Manhattan and snatching purses before escaping on their moped.
The spree has stretched across lower Manhattan, Midtown and the Upper East Side with 22 attacks reported between Oct. 2 and Oct. 22, spanning seven police precincts, the NYPD said.
In each robbery the suspects drive up to a woman, attempt to or successfully steal her purse or wallet and flee the scene on their moped, police said.
The victims have all been women between the ages of 20 and 73, and all the muggings have occurred between the hours of 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., according to the NYPD.
Minor injuries were reported in seven of the robberies. Five of the injured victims refused medical attention, one was treated by EMS at the scene and one was transported to a hospital by private means, police said.
No injuries were reported in 15 of the attacks.
1010 WINS spoke with former NYPD Lieutenant Darrin Porcher, a criminal justice professor at Pace University, who said the worst is yet to come in the trend of thieves utilizing mopeds and scooters in their crimes.
“If we introduce a regulatory process, which requires license plating on these vehicles that have motors, that would now allow us to capture the information from a license plate, to further move towards an enforcement action against that moped,” Porcher explained despite expressing a lack of faith that the city will pursue this regulatory process.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.