BROWNSVILLE, Brooklyn (PIX11) — A robber in a face mask and a reflective vest stole a Brownsville hotel worker’s cellphone and ring at gunpoint, police said early Tuesday.
The crook walked into the lobby of the Hotel Hashtag on East 98th Street near East New York Avenue around 7:35 a.m. Monday and started chatting up a 34-year-old worker at the front desk, eventually asking to use her cellphone, authorities said.
When the worker offered to let the man use the hotel’s landline instead, he pulled out a gun, grabbed her arm, and yanked a ring off her finger, officials said. He then threatened to shoot her unless she handed over the cellphone, police said.
The robber fled with the ring and the worker’s iPhone 14, riding southbound on East 98th Street on a black bicycle, according to authorities. The victim suffered what officials described as minor injuries and declined medical attention at the scene.
Police gave the values of the ring and the cellphone as $300 and $900, respectively.
Investigators released surveillance images of the suspect, who’s described as having a thin build. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie, a white face mask, a traffic vest, black pants, and white Nike sneakers.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
