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Central Park Mugger Puts Victims in Chokeholds, Police Say

By Aidan Gardiner | August 21, 2014 9:29am | Updated on August 21, 2014 1:00pm
 The thief robbed two men in the same area of Central Park, police said.
The thief robbed two men in the same area of Central Park, police said.
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NYPD

MANHATTAN — A thief robbed two men in Central Park on separate occasions by putting them in a chokehold before running off with their belongings, police said.

The suspect, who wears a bucket hat according to a police sketch of him, first robbed a 47-year-old man near East 74th Street and East Drive just after midnight on Aug. 18, according to the NYPD.

Two days later, he tried to strike up a conversation with a man, also 47, around the same area and time, before putting him in a chokehold and robbing him, police said.

Neither victim's name was released.

The suspect, who is about 6-foot-5, used the chokehold to bring the men to the ground and take their things, police said.

He took a backpack with $7, a debit card and two credit cards from the first victim, police said. Then he stole a bag with $140 in cash and a debit card from the other man.

Neither man required medical attention, an NYPD spokesman said.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).