NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The NYPD is searching for multiple young suspects in an armed robbery spree at Bronx Park in recent weeks.
Four robberies this month have been linked to the pattern at the 700-acre park, abutting Belmont and Pelham Parkway, where the Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden are located.
The victims were robbed of their cellphones and other valuables at knifepoint or gunpoint between early May and this week.
In the latest robbery this past Wednesday, a boy and girl, both 16, were walking inside the park at 2:30 p.m. when three thieves demanded their phones, police said.
The victims refused, sparking a physical fight in which both victims were punched in the face and robbed of their phones. Both teens suffered minor injuries, according to cops.
The week before, a 34-year-old man was robbed in the park on the night of May 12. He was mugged of his phone and wallet by a pair of robbers with a gun.
A 26-year-old man fell victim on the night of May 6, when four thieves stole his motorized scooter and phone in the park at knifepoint.
Two days before that on May 4, a 21-year-old man was walking in the park at 10:30 p.m. when a trio wielding two guns stole his phone, jacket and wallet.
The latter three victims were not physically injured, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.