Cops After Man In Gun-Point Robbery, Who May Be Connected To Several Similar Incidents

A scary late-night robbery in Windsor Terrace over the weekend has cops on the hunt for a man who may be responsible for a string of gun-point muggings in the area.

The most recent incident occurred on Saturday, August 29 at just after 11pm on 19th Street near Seeley Street, according to the NYPD. As was first reported by DNAinfo, a 20-year-old woman was followed by a man beginning around 17th Street, and then the suspect displayed a silver gun and demanded money, taking off with the victim’s wallet and iPhone.

Police tell us the response time was quick — officers happened to be quite nearby at the time — but that the delay between the woman tracking down someone whose phone she could use to call 911 may have led to the suspect’s getaway. As was, perhaps, a quick-change.

“He may be carrying a gym bag,” 72nd Precinct Commanding Officer Tommy Ng tells us, “and changing clothes.”

Captain Ng says that though they believe this is the same suspect responsible for a total of five incidents across the 72nd and 66th Precincts, they’ve gotten conflicting descriptions from witnesses — some note he’s had a beard while others have not, though of course, as Captain Ng notes, he could have shaved.

A witness to Saturday night’s incident — who has requested anonymity — says that he was sitting on the steps of the former Bishop Ford High School when the suspect passed by him.

“He was about five feet from me when he walked by,” he said. “He was a middle aged black man, about six feet tall, stocky, and had a big messenger bag over his shoulder. It may have been blue, but it was too hard to tell without a lot of light.” He says the police told him the description fit other robberies in this and surrounding neighborhoods.

The witness then walked toward Thomas J. Cuite Park — a playground at 19th Street, between 11th Avenue and Seeley Street — and “noticed a pink cell phone cover,” he explained. “I handed it over to an officer nearby. I had to wait for DNA experts to arrive to rule me out, because I picked it up and had my fingerprints on it. I was told by the police that it was the woman’s cell phone cover.”

The witness expressed concern over the communication by the police to the general public. “Monday night [August 31] I saw six police officers outside of the Fort Hamilton Parkway subway entrance. But I don’t think they’re telling us enough.”

The other incidents have occurred further south, in Kensington around Caton Avenue and the Fort Hamilton Parkway subway station, with the two most recent in the 72nd Precinct, and the three previous in the 66th Precinct. Detectives have surveillance footage of a man they believe to be the suspect — he used a victim’s MetroCard at a nearby subway stop — but they say they are waiting for this weekend’s victim to identify him as the suspect in her incident before releasing that image.

Cops say all of the recent incidents have occurred late at night, between about 11pm and 2am. Neighbors are advised to call 911 immediately to report any incidents — and if you feel unsafe walking home from the subway alone, for instance, remember that the Brooklyn Bike Patrol is available to escort anyone on their walk late at night, seven days a week. Call 718-744-7592 before you hop on your train, and a vetted volunteer will meet you at your station. [Editor’s note: Unfortunately, Brooklyn Bike Patrol disbanded earlier this year.]

With additional reporting by Donny Levit.