Aug. 11, 2023 By Bill Parry
A 20-year-old man should have known not to talk to strangers, especially late at night on a dark street, but during the early morning hours of Saturday, July 29, in Corona, he learned that lesson the hard way.
Police say the victim struck up a conversation with a woman in the vicinity of 97th Street and 38th Avenue, a block north of Roosevelt Avenue, at around 1:20 a.m., when her two friends came up behind him and jumped him. Once the victim was thrown to the ground, the assailants forcibly removed his cell phone, wallet and an unknown amount of cash before running off eastbound on 38th Street, police said.
The victim suffered minor injuries during the robbery but refused medical attention at the crime scene, according to authorities.
Cops from the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights are looking for the woman who began chatting-up the victim and her two accomplices. All three suspects remain at large, police said.
The NYPD released surveillance photos of the suspect on Aug. 10 and described the ringleader as a woman with a heavy build, who is around 5 feet, 6 inches tall with a medium complexion. She was wearing a black tank top, blue jeans and white sneakers.
A second woman involved in the assault is also around 5 feet, 6 inches tall and has a light complexion with a medium build. She was last seen wearing a black top, ripped blue jeans and black sneakers.
They were allegedly helped by a man with a light complexion and medium build, who is around 5 feet, 7 inches tall. He was wearing a light-colored baseball cap, orange T-shirt, multi-colored shorts and white sneakers.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.