Police detectives are calling it a pattern. It's a string of commercial robberies at knife-point by the same person. The suspect they're looking for follows the same method of operation.
“He walks in, produces what looks like a large butcher knife, [a] kitchen butcher’s knife, that he uses on each one,” NYPD Chief of Detectives, Robert Boyce explained on Thursday.
The latest robbery happened on Sunday evening at the Subway and Nathan's Hot Dog fast-food joint on Springfield Boulevard in Bayside. He got away with $500. No one was hurt. The brazen suspect is tied to more than a dozen similar robberies in Long Island. Police believe he expanded into Southern Queens in mid-May.
These are the six Queens locations police say he's wanted for so far:
- 103-21 Metropolitan Avenue
- 146-36 45 Avenue
- 163-02 Cross Bay Boulevard
- 205-12 Northern Boulevard
- 64-29 108 Street
- 61-13 Springfield Boulevard
Boyce says the robber appears to be targeting fast-food restaurants and may be picking locations closest to the highway. The Springfield Boulevard location is just off the Long Island Expressway.
“He walks several blocks off, so we can’t get the car he gets in,” Boyxe explains. “We believe he is driving a car. He gets back on the parkway and he’s gone.”
The suspect has struck two restaurants in Council Member Karen Koslowitz's 29th district. She urges Queens residents to be aware of their surroundings. She has advice for anyone who may encounter the suspect. "Call 911," she says. "Always call 911. don’t take matters into your own hands."
Though the suspect is usually covered with a mask and hoodie, he has been captured on camera in nearly every incident. That gives some neighbors hope that he won't be on the streets for long.
"I’m surprised that a lot of people try to do that, because there's cameras all over the place. He’s not going to get away with it," says Patty Recchia of Bayside.
Detectives continue to investigate and neighbors hope the suspect's criminal spree is close to an end.
“He did choose the wrong neighborhood here because our police department the 111 precinct is great,” says Sebastian D'Agostino of Bayside Hills.
Anyone with information on the case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS, or text CRIMES and then enter TIP577, or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.