A brazen masked robbery crew tried to snatch three women’s handbags — successfully stealing one bag — in a string of Upper East Side stick-ups late last month, cops said.
The group of five crooks – who appear to be teens or young men – first approached a 32-year-old woman walking on East 75th Street near Second Avenue around 8:20 p.m. on Jan. 19, according to authorities.
They grabbed her handbag which held cash and credit cards before running off, police said.
The victim did not report any injuries.
Immediately after that robbery, the criminal quintet then tried to grab a 38-year-old woman’s purse at Third Avenue and East 78th Street, cops said.
But the victim held tight to her bag and the suspects fled empty-handed, police said.
The woman refused medical attention for minor injuries.
The bandits took two days off before approaching a 71-year-old woman at Second Avenue and East 70th Street around 5:40 p.m. Jan. 21, authorities said.
They tried to grab her bag, but the senior didn’t let go and they again fled without any loot, according to cops.
The septuagenarian also suffered minor injuries and declined medical attention.
The suspects, caught on surveillance video passing through the emergency gate inside a subway station, had their hoods pulled up with black masks covering a portion of their faces.
No arrests had been made by Tuesday.
Anyone with information on the suspects 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.
