CHELSEA — Police are looking for a mugger who has been preying on older men and is linked with at least four robberies during broad daylight in Chelsea within the last 10 days.
Three out of four people robbed were elderly men, according to police.
The suspect choked an elderly male from behind and snatched his wallet as he entered the N train subway entrance at Broadway and West 28th Street at 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 13, the NYPD said. The man sustained a stroke as a result, police said.
Three days later, the mugger followed another elderly male into an elevator of a commercial establishment at 1178 Broadway before choking him from behind, taking his cell phone and an unknown amount of cash at around 3:45 p.m, according to police.
On Aug. 18, the suspect choked another male from behind at Broadway and West 28th Street before removing his money and getting away on foot on West 25th Street.
Authorities said the most recent attack occurred on Sunday when the mugger hit an elderly man from behind with a blunt object just after 10 a.m. on Eighth Avenue and West 23rd street, police said.
The victim was also choked before the attacker took his wallet, according to police. He sustained a damaged trachea as a result, the NYPD said.
Police describe the suspect as a stocky, bald man in his mid 30s who weighs about 220 pounds and is between 5-foot 5 and 6-feet tall.
Anyone with information to these incidents is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).
