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Man Robbed at Knife-point on Steinway Street, Then Forced to Walk to ATMs and Withdraw Cash

Suspect (NYPD) and Google

Nov. 20, By Christian Murray

A man was robbed at knife point and then escorted to two ATMs to withdraw cash in Astoria last month, police said.

The knife-wielding suspect followed the 32-year-old victim on Steinway Street at around 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5 before demanding cash, police said.

The victim, who was in front of 31-67 Steinway Street when he was mugged, complied and handed over $20.

The suspect then demanded more money and walked the victim over to an ATM where he withdrew $60 and gave it to the alleged perpetrator.

The suspect then walked the victim to another ATM, located at 32-16 Steinway Street, and forced him to withdraw an additional $220. The robber then fled with the money, police said.

The alleged perpetrator is described as black, 20-25 years of age, 5’9″, 175 lbs., dark complexion, facial hair, last seen wearing a black jacket, black jeans, white shirt and black and white sneakers.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS

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11 Comments

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Tim

Not surprising. This is right by the sketchy tattoo parlor and Brik which seems to be a haven for wannabe thugs and dirtbags who mean mug people as they walk by. They probably know the perp but no snitching

Reply
yanna

I saw this on the news last week. With so many cops driving around I can not believe things like this still happen in Astoria. I guess criminals know no one will question them around here because there are so many people and stores around compared to other nearby towns which are considered “trendy.” No matter what developers try to sell Astoria is still very socially and economically diverse. And even though there are so many people are walking around during the day it doesn’t help that a good majority of them are old folks or mostly younger adults who are high on weed. Astoria stinks of weed where ever you go.

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Anonymous

i agree poor job on law enforecemt … the day they got the footage from the store as well as the bank (they are full of cameras) they should have made an example of this man and blasted his picture everywhere! this is the digital age

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Anonymous

I don’t understand why these crimes are typically reported (by NYPD or the media — whichever) several weeks after they happened.

As well, the press release indicates the suspect was “last seen wearing a black jacket, black jeans, white shirt and black and white sneakers” as if that’s what he’s wearing right now.

Reply
Jon

I know. In the day of social media this is ridiculously slow.

You would think they would have flat screen monitors at bus stops and the train that would show who they are looking for in like 1 hour.

And, why not a list of cab drivers, bus drivers and businesses that you email and/or text pictures to within hours?

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Yasss

No way someone was robbed at 6pm on Steinway St on a Thursday evening
The whole block has people walking up and down both sides till around 8pm or later.
31-67 Steinway is McDonads. Someone would have easily seen that out the window. They didn’t try to run or yell for help?
This just seems unreal.

Reply
Mike

Yasss – I agree with much of what you’re saying like it seems unreal especially at 6PM. As for someone easily seeing this from a window, I think you’re being terribly naive. Most muggings aren’t that violent in nature that you can immediately tell whats going on, especially when you’re removed from the situation. Somebody sitting in a restaurant, seeing “this” and the people involved would properly think they were together and just talking. The perp quickly gains control of the victim with fear and intimidation, victim is usually shocked and subdued. Ask any witness of a crime they will usually say the same thing “I had no idea of what was going on”.

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An Astoria Mom

We’ve all walked & shopped along busy Steinway Street, sometimes with our young children. So many elderly & people with health challenges try to go about their business there,too. What a scary ordeal to be forced to ATMs at knifepoint, terrified to say or do anything. I hope this robber’s caught soon, before he does worse to someone else. Unbelievable..

Reply
admin

Police put out a press release on it over the weekend–including the video.
Next time we will make it clearer.

Reply
jackey

Incidents like this do not surprise me anymore as much as they used to in Astoria. Astoria is now known all over the city as an over-crowded residential and commercial area and criminals are drawn to this because they can easily blend in, commit a crime and get away while most by standers are oblivious to their surroundings. Its just a fact of living here.

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