Fake Cops Steal Hundreds From A Student Food Vendor On Avenue Z

Police are asking for the public’s assistance in finding two men who pretended to be cops in order to search a food vendor and rob him of $550, according to police.

The robbery took place on Wednesday, September 14 at around 12:15am, on Avenue Z and East 14 Street.

The two men approached the food vendor and told him they were police. They searched the victim and took the cash they found on him, his college ID, and his New York State ID. The two thieves then fled the scene in a new-looking black Honda Accord, according to police.

One of the men is described as being 5’3″, skinny, white, with a device on his shoulder. He was wearing a black hoodie and black jeans. The other thief is 6’4″, 300 pounds, white, wearing a cream-colored button-down shirt.

Surveillance video was captured at the scene, and it shows the men getting into their car and leaving.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident 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 at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.