Police are looking for the three people in this surveillance photo in connection with the robbery of a bicyclist Saturday night.
Two robberies were reported in Central Park on Saturday; police arrested suspects in one of them, but are asking for the public’s help in the other.
Around 12:50 a.m. on Saturday, “police responded to a 911 call of a male robbed inside of Central Park, in the vicinity of 106th Street and 5th Avenue. Upon arrival, officers discovered a 23-year-old male who stated he was riding his bicycle through the park when he encountered three unidentified males, one who displayed a handgun and demanded money and property from the victim. The victim complied and handed over his backpack that contained his wallet with $60 cash, his driver’s license and a Chase bank debit card. The suspects fled the scene to parts unknown. The victim was not injured as result of this incident.”
Anyone with information should call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). All calls are strictly confidential.
In another incident on Saturday night, a tourist from New Hampshire was robbed while playing Pokémon GO in Central Park, and two men were arrested for the crime, according to Geoffrey Croft of NYC Parks Advocates and A Walk in the Park blog.
The 21-year-old victim had been playing Pokémon GO while siting on the Andrew Haswell Green bench near East 102nd St and East Drive when he got up and started walking southbound down a path.
He was approached by two men who pushed him down from behind as he held his i-phone in his hand.
One of the assailants said, “I have a gun” give me your stuff.”
The thieves took his wallet and i-phone along with a backpack. They tossed the victim’s backpack without taking any additional property.
Police arrested Bryan Matz, 37, of Queens, and Camacho Navla, 18, after finding them with the stolen goods, according to Croft.
Were those 3 also playing Pokémon GO?
Helpful Hint: If you Copy/Paste “Pokémon GO”, you keep the accent mark.
My predictive spelling keyboard puts it in for me! Pokémon! ☺
If you’re in Central Park at 12:50 am, whatever happens to you, you deserve it.
of course you dont mean that but there is oddly among tourists a feeling of invisibility being in central park at night they are with the cell phones and camera and just strolling along at 10 pm like they’re in times square, odd this sense of invulnerability they have as a native if I happen to be in park later I keep it brief and stay in well light park road
Dear John :
Oy vey, if any of your former English teachers should read your ‘allruntogetherpostingwithoutpunctuation he or she would have a heart attack, and it wouldn’t be from the brisket.
HERE is the CORRECTED VERSION (sorry, but my battle-tested red pen does not work on this site)–
CAPITAL “O”f course you don’t mean that (COMMA) but there is (COMMA) oddly (COMMA) among tourists a feeling of invisibility being in central park at night (PERIOD) (CAPITAL – T)hey are with the cell phones and camera and just strolling along at 10 pm like they’re in times square(PERIOD) (INSERT “ISN’T IT”)odd (COMMA) this sense of invulnerability they have(PERIOD) (CAPITAL “A”)s a native (COMMA) if I happen to be in park later I keep it brief and stay in well light(CHANGE TO “LIT”)park road (PERIOD)
You’re (NOT “Your”) Welcome!
It doesn’t seem that long ago that people (myself included) were told that they got what they deserved for walking around Times Square at night. I keep forgetting there’s an entire generation who only knows Times Square as an offshoot of Disney etal.
Oh, I mean it. After midnight in Central Park? Scratch that, after 10pm in Central Park? You’re asking to be mugged, beaten, possibly raped or killed. If you’re too naive or simply blind to reality, then what happens, happens; good luck to you “bicyclist” / “jogger” / “Pokemon Go player”.
When will this madness end?
Watch this: https://youtu.be/IprSCPtBkLA
It is incredibly stupid to be in Central Park at that hour – but no one deserves to be robbed or harmed.
In fact, if we all cower in the face of danger, the city goes in a spiral downward. Only by “taking back the night” do we keep the night from being lost to mayhem altogether. One hopes we can do it a little more sensibly than by going alone into the park after night with expensive equipment, but still.
I wonder whether our respective perspectives on whether making a bad decision makes you “deserve” to be harmed fits in with the article on that topic that was in the Times a few weeks ago.
Hi Erica, very good point. No one ever “deserves” to be robbed—just as no one ever “deserves” to be raped. Walking by yourself at night or getting too drunk at a party may be stupid and not sensible, but it doesn’t mean you deserve to get robbed or raped.
Also, I’d love to read the Times article. Would you provide link?
This is why I am leery on Central Park.
Never go there.
You /never/ go to Central Park? Not even in broad daylight, in the presence of throngs of non-threatening-looking people?