The Bronx
A taxi driver in Mott Haven fended off a passenger who tried to rob him, cops said. The victim was sitting in his yellow cab at Wales Avenue and St. Mary’s Street on Sept. 6 at about 12:45 a.m. on Sept. 6 when the rider pulled out a gun and demanded cash, according to police. The driver didn’t comply, and instead grabbed the attacker’s arm and shoved it away. The suspect, who is believed to be in his late 20s, then left the cab empty-handed. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and a dark New York Rangers hat.
Police on Tuesday released surveillance images of two men they believe robbed a 21-year-old man in his car in University Heights. The victim was alone when the men approached him in front of a Dunkin Donuts on Jerome Avenue and East 175th Street at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 23, according to police. The victim wasn’t injured, but the duo fled with his Samsung Galaxy Edge cellphone, cops said. They were last seen on Division Avenue.
A customer at a fried-chicken joint in Foxhurst emptied an unattended cash register and made off with the loot, authorities said. The thief had just ordered food from the Kennedy Fried Chicken on East 169th Street just before 1 a.m. on July 21 and stepped outside to wait with friends when she noticed that a worker had walked away from the cash register, leaving it unattended, cops said. The woman walked back inside and went behind the counter, removing $300 from the register before slipping back outside unnoticed and fled. The crook is described as being around 5-foot-7, cops said.
A man slammed a woman to the floor and beat her as he attempted to steal her purse in a Bedford Park building, cops said. The thug followed the 40-year-old victim into the lobby of her apartment building on East 201st Street and Briggs Avenue and then tried to rip the purse from her shoulder at around 7:40 p.m. on Sept. 9, according to authorities. After the woman fell to the floor, the attacker punched her in the face while trying to yank the bag from her grasp once more, surveillance video shows. Finally giving up, the man fled empty-handed on a bicycle. The victim was taken to an area hospital for cuts and bruises to her face and head, cops said. The suspect was last seen wearing a yellow T-shirt and white gloves.
Staten Island
Two thieves are wanted for burglarizing a recycling plant and a sports-equipment business in Port Richmond. The suspects hopped the wall of J&J Recycling in Richmond Terrace at around 5 p.m. on Aug. 28 and removed several hand tools before scurrying off, cops said. The duo struck again three days later, this time breaking into Bexter Sports at around 6 p.m. and getting away with baseball bats and office supplies, cops said. One of the suspects was caught on surveillance video during the first incident and was last seen wearing a blue basketball jersey with the number 1. The other suspect was wearing a white jersey with the number 23 on it, according to police.
Brooklyn
A man burglarized a nail salon in East New York, authorities said. The suspect walked into the Honey Sweet Nails salon on Van Siclen Avenue on Aug. 28 at about 3 p.m. through an unlocked rear door, according to police. Once inside, the thief swiped two computer monitors, a backpack and a watch, cops said. The man is believed to be about 35 years old, stands around 6-feet tall, and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and gray sweat pants.