Police from the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows, Transit District 20 and the 114th Precinct in Astoria are on the lookout for two men who emerged from the Parson Boulevard F train station on Hillside Avenue in Jamaica after robbing two riders in the transit system early Saturday morning, March 18.
The suspects were caught on camera soon after they approached a 40-year-old man riding a moving F train as it was pulling into the Parsons Boulevard Station and asked him if he had the time. It was 4:11 a.m.
The perpetrators demanded his wallet and the victim tried to walk away, but one of the men grabbed onto his back pants pocket, causing the pocket to rip and his wallet to fall to the floor of the subway car. A brief struggle ensued before the assailants physically assaulted the rider and then exited the train in the station before running off down Hillside Avenue, police said.
The victim was able to retrieve his wallet with no stolen property. He sustained minor injuries and was treated by EMS at the crime scene.
Detectives determined that the two same men struck just over a half-hour earlier in Astoria on the same morning. At around 3:30 a.m. on March 18, they were on board a northbound F train approaching the 46th Street station on Broadway when they walked up to a 23-year-old man and demanded his wallet while threatening to shoot him. No firearm was displayed or simulated, but the victim handed over his wallet and the two crooks ran out of the train at the 46th Street station, police said, adding that the victim was not injured and reported his wallet stolen. The wallet contained his credit cards, personal ID and an unknown amount of cash.
A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the suspects.
The NYPD released a surveillance image on March 21 showing the two men leaving the Parsons Boulevard station.
One suspect has a dark complexion with a medium build with short black hair. He was last seen wearing a green jacket, a white T-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers.
The second man is described as having a light complexion and a medium build. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with a PUMA logo across the chest, gray sweatpants and black sneakers.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.