Nov. 7, 2023 By Anthony Medina
Police from the 104th Precinct are searching for two crooks who robbed a man at gunpoint in Ridgewood while riding a motor scooter last month, a continuation of an alarming trend that has seen the amount of local robbery cases rise in recent days, according to the NYPD’s latest crime stats.
Police say a 24-year-old man was in front of 16-81 Linden St. at approximately 3:18 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, when he was approached by two unknown men on a black scooter moped.
One of the crooks then displayed a gun and his accomplice forcibly removed the victim’s wallet containing $50, a hat and sneakers, police said. The suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction.
No injuries were reported to police as a result of the incident.
The 104th Precinct continues to combat an influx of crimes conducted by illegal moped and scooter riders. One example of this crime pattern occurred in September when police responded to the robbery of a 41-year-old woman by two crooks riding a black moped.
In October, the 104th Precinct also experienced a series of incidents involving two moped riders who conducted six robberies in the course of one morning, targeting pedestrians and getting away with phones and cash.
Another moped-riding fiend in Maspeth burglarized a business last month and stole $36,000 from the location.
Robberies are up 83.3% over the last 28-day period, an increase of 10 more incidents when compared to the same time last year, according to NYPD crime stats as of Sunday, Nov. 5. Robberies are also up by 17.1%, an increase of 29 cases from last year-to-date numbers.
Anyone with information in regard to these incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
All calls are strictly confidential.