A band of thieves stealing motorcycles and jewelry across Manhattan and the Bronx are getting bolder and more dangerous, police reported.
According to police sources, the robbers — who numbered between two and six at a given time — last struck earlier this month, twice on the same day — and at gunpoint.
Cops say four unidentified people stole a motorcycle parked outside of 177 Fort Washington Ave. in Washington Heights around 1 p.m. on July 8. The vehicle, estimated at being worth $31,000, was seen being driven away eastbound on 168th Street.
Six perpetrators struck later that same day on the Upper East Side at around 3:15 p.m. This time, the suspects approached a 48-year-old motorcyclist outside of 1010 Park Ave., where they attacked him and displayed a firearm. They then made off with his $22,000 ride. The victim was not injured.
Police said the criminal enterprise has been robbing New Yorkers over the past several months.
The pattern began, the NYPD reported, on May 13m when two men pointed a gun at a 48-year-old employee of an Upper East Side apartment building who tried to stop the pair from riding away on a $16,000 motorcycle from 46 East 91 Street.
Later that month,on May 31, near the corner of West 185 Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue, the pair ripped a $6,000 necklace off the neck of a 53-year-old man at gunpoint. The victim suffered minor injuries, police said.
Then on June 23, a group of three ventured to 28 West Mount Eden Ave. in the Bronx where they attempted to rob a 40-year-old man for his necklace, but the victim was able to flee the scene without losing his property.
That same day, the crew robbed a motorcycle worth $6,000 parked outside of 200 West 86th St. on the Upper West Side, cops noted.
Investigators say they are hoping to catch the group before someone is seriously harmed.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
