Robber Threatens, Ties Up Woman in the East Village

Police are looking for a shirtless robbery suspect in the East Village after a woman was threatened with a gun and tied up on Wednesday.

The attack happened at 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday when the suspect followed the 33-year-old into her apartment building, threatened he had a gun and made off with her cell phone, jewelry, debit card and $35 in cash, according to police. The man then made the victim lie face down on the floor and he tied her up before exiting the building.

The man is described as 30 to 40 years old, 5-foot-10 and about 200 to 225 pounds. He was last seen wearing a yellow shirt, black jeans, a black baseball hat and backpack. However, in surveillance footage from a nearby convenience store, the man is seen shirtless with a shirt tied around his waist.

The robbery took place near 13th Street and Avenue B, just a block from where a man broke into a person's apartment and made off with $1,000 in electronics, including the security camera he was caught on film stealing. That burglary took place on July 22, and the suspect is still at large. There does not appear to be a connection.

Robberies are up 19 percent in the Ninth Precinct, which covers all of the East Village, so far this year compared to 2015, according to NYPD numbers. There were three robberies in the precinct last week.

Photo/Video Credit: NYPD