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Cops seek crook who robbed man in East Elmhurst and stole a car in Woodside to evade authorities

Photo courtesy of the NYPD

Oct. 20, 2023 By Ethan Marshall

The NYPD is searching for the crook who assaulted and robbed a man in East Elmhurst before fleeing to Woodside, where he stole a car and continued his escape last month.

Police from the 115th Precinct reported that a 57-year-old man was walking near 81st Street and 25th Avenue in East Elmhurst at around 12:40 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29, when he was approached from behind by the unknown individual, who then punched the victim in the head and removed his wallet before fleeing southbound on 81st Street on foot.

The victim suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention, police said.

Then, at approximately 1:18 p.m., the crook entered a running and unoccupied gray 2010 Lexus E35 four door sedan in front of 64-07 Broadway in Woodside, within the confines of the 108th Precinct. He then took off in the vehicle, which has since been recovered. No injuries were reported as a result of this incident.

The NYPD asks that anyone with information regarding the suspect and/or these incidents 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.

According to the NYPD’s Compstat report from Sept. 17-Oct. 15, the 115th Precinct has experienced a 53.8% increase in robbery cases year-over-year, from 26 last year to 40 this year. While the 108th Precinct did not see any change in robbery cases (19 each in 2022 and 2023), there was a 46.2% increase in grand larceny of automobiles, rising from 26 in 2022 to 38 in 2023.