Bushwick Serial Robber Steals Middle-Aged Women's Purses: Cops

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN — Police are searching for a serial robber in Bushwick and Ridgewood who has stolen purses from at least three middle-aged women in the past two months, they said. The first incident occurred on Monday, Dec. 19, when at around 9:15 p.m., the suspect took a 41-year-old woman's bag at the corner of Wyckoff Avenue and Hart Street in Bushwick, cops said. Her bag had $100 in cash, a cellphone and a debit card, according to police.

The second incident occurred a few weeks later on Jan. 9, when the suspect took a pocketbook from a 69-year-old woman on Hart Street at around 10:40 p.m., police said. The pocketbook had $150 in cash and a Visa gift card in it, according to cops.

The third incident occurred on Woodward Avenue and Stanhope Street in Ridgewood on Jan. 17, cops said. The suspect grabbed a 41-year-old woman's arm from behind and pushed her to the ground, according to police. He tried and failed to get her purse from her arm, and when she started screaming, he ran away from the scene, police said.

Police describe the robber as a hispanic man from 40 to 45 years old, around 5-foot-5-inches tall, 150-160 pounds, with a gray and white goatee. He was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, light gray sweatpants and white sneakers.

The NYPD has released surveillance photos of the suspect and are asking anyone with information in regards to this incident 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.

Photo via NYPD