Robbery Spree By Police Impersonator In Southern Brooklyn [Updated]

[Update 4/12: Arcelay Camilo of Bensonhurst has been arrested and charged with robbery and criminal impersonation, said cops.]

Help cops find 36-year-old Arcelay Camilo, suspected of impersonating a police officer and then robbing five stories in Bensonhurst and Coney Island this week.

He escaped with at least $4,362 plus several boxes of cigarettes, according to police reports.

The first strike happened on Thursday, April 6 at about 2pm inside a Bensonhurst laundromat. The suspect reportedly barged into 20th Avenue at 74th Street, flashed a fake police patch and swiped $300, a wallet, and cigarettes, before fleeing down 20th Avenue, said cops.

Two days later, the suspect struck a grocery store in Coney island at 2901 West 21st Street at Mermaid Avenue, said cops. At 9am on April 8, he flashed a shirt with an NYPD logo, stole $2,500 in cash and cigarettes, and fled the scene in a vehicle.

The next day on April 9, he hit a store on New Utrecht Avenue near Bay Ridge Avenue at 8am, said cops. After flashing his fake police patch, he nabbed $1000 from the register and nine cigarette packs.

Continuing the spree, he hit a grocery store on 86th Street near 20th Avenue the very next day, on Monday April 10 at about 12:20pm, said cops. This time he pretended to be a detective to inspect cigarette tax stamps, stealing $562 from the cash register.

Yesterday, was his first unsuccessful strike, according to police reports. At 1am on April 11, during an attempted robbery at 6318 18th Avenue, he was thwarted by a grocery store employee.

Anyone with information in regards to these incidents 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 texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.