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Woodside man busted for robbery at Jackson Heights restaurant with two others, who remain at large: NYPD

Cops are looking for these two suspects in a violent robbery at a Roosevelt Avenue restaurant after arresting a Woodside man minutes following the trio attacking a man inside the Jackson Heights cafe. Photos courtesy of the NYPD

Apr. 15, 2024 By Bill Parry

Police from the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights arrested a Woodside man in connection to a robbery at a Mexican restaurant on Roosevelt Avenue during the early morning hours of Sunday, Apr. 7.

Police continue to search for his two accomplices, who remain at large.

A 36-year-old man was inside Molcajete Mexican Restaurant at 92-13 Roosevelt Ave. at around 2:30 a.m., when he stopped three strangers from entering and a dispute ensued. The three men jumped the victim and punched him multiple times in his body and one of the assailants pulled out a metal pipe and struck the man who dropped his cell phone that was picked up by one of the perpetrators before all three fled the cafe.

Police arrested 31-year-old Jorge Tibillin around 20 minutes later after they caught him red-handed with the victim’s cell phone. Tibillin, who lives less than 2 miles away on 34th Avenue near 64th Street in Woodside, was booked at the 115th Precinct, where he was charged with robbery and criminal possession of stolen property.

The NYPD released surveillance images of the two unapprehended suspects on Saturday and described them as male Hispanics with light complexions. One perp was wearing a light-colored baseball cap, black and gray bubble jacket, dark-colored pants, and light-colored sneakers. The second suspect, who remains at large, was wearing a dark-colored GAP hooded sweatshirt, a white baseball cap, light-colored pants, and dark-colored sneakers.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

Through Apr. 7, the 115th Precinct has reported 96 robberies so far in 2024, 30 more than the 66 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 45.5%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Assaults are also on the rise in the 115th Precinct, with 136 reported so far this year, 15 more than the 121 reported at the same point in 2023, an increase of 12.4%, according to CompStat.