Tense surveillance footage captures the moment a masked thief robbed a man at gunpoint inside the elevator of an East Harlem building late last month.
The gunman approached the 21-year-old victim inside the residential building on First Avenue near East 124th Street, part of NYCHA’s Wagner Houses in East Harlem, around 11:20 p.m. May 28, cops said as they released video of the violent crime late Wednesday.
The suspect, seen with a black face mask and wired headphones dangling from his ears, held a gun in one hand and appeared to grab the victim’s throat with the other, according to cops and the footage.
At some point, he appeared to take a bag and what appeared to be a small package from the victim, before handing them back, the video shows.
But the crook did take off with the man’s cellphone, according to police.
The victim did not report any injuries, police said.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked 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 https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on X @NYPDTips.
