Six women, the youngest 54 and the oldest 81, were approached on Manhattan sidewalks by groups of unidentified individuals over a two-week stretch this month, and the NYPD has now connected all six incidents into a single pattern. Three of them happened on the Upper West Side, one arrest has already been made, and police are asking for help identifying the rest.
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In every case, the individuals went for the same thing: a chain around the victim’s neck.The first Upper West Side incident took place on Saturday, July 11 at around 1:10 p.m., when a 71-year-old woman was walking in front of 2704 Broadway (between 103rd and 104th streets) and multiple individuals approached her and snatched a chain from her neck before fleeing, according to the police report. She was not injured.
Ten days later, on Tuesday, July 21 at approximately 5 p.m., a 62-year-old woman was in a wheelchair in front of 127 Manhattan Avenue (between 105th and 106th streets) when multiple individuals approached and snatched a chain from her neck, the report states. She was not injured.
The third incident on the Upper West Side was the most violent of the three. On Wednesday, July 22 at around 11 a.m., an 81-year-old woman was walking at the intersection of West 109th Street and Columbus Avenue when multiple individuals approached her on a motorized scooter and forcibly removed a chain from her neck, causing her to fall to the ground, according to the police report. She refused medical attention.
All three fall within the 24th Precinct. The pattern also extends into three other Manhattan precincts.
It began on Thursday, July 9, at approximately 7:50 p.m., when a 54-year-old woman walking near 30 Morningside Drive in the 26th Precinct had a chain snatched from her neck. On July 21, at around 1:50 p.m., a 63-year-old woman was walking near 111 Central Park North in the 28th Precinct when individuals forcibly removed a chain from her neck, leaving her with pain and redness. She refused medical attention.
The sixth incident, in the 34th Precinct, was the only one where the individuals came away with nothing. At about 10:25 a.m. on July 22, a 55-year-old woman walking in front of 4240 Broadway (at West 180th Street) was approached by multiple individuals on a motorized scooter, the report states. One of them punched her in the face and tried to pull the chain from her neck without success, and the group fled on Broadway toward 181st Street. She refused medical attention.
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Both July 22 incidents led to an arrest. A 15-year-old male was taken into custody that afternoon at 1:39 p.m. within the confines of the 32nd Precinct and charged with robbery, according to the police report. The investigation into the remaining individuals is ongoing, and the NYPD has released images of the suspects still at large.
Anyone with relevant information 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 or by sending a direct message to @NYPDTips on Twitter.
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