By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Children as young as 11 are being beaten and mugged for iPods, Blackberries and Sidekicks by teens roaming Fort Tryon Park in broad daylight, police said.
Parents were warned to put their children on high alert in the park, which sits between 190th and Dyckman streets, after children reported being mugged on June 8, 10, 15, 17 and 23.
Police arrested two boys aged 13 and 18 over the June 23 robbery, which targeted an 11-year-old. (Police were unable to provide information about charges or the identities of the boys.)
The arrest of the two boys, who are cousins, seemingly put an end to the crime spree.
But on July 12, another child — whose age was not revealed by police — reported being robbed by teenagers, police said.
NYPD Captain Jose Navarro warned residents during a 34th Police Precinct meeting Wednesday about teens attacking younger children for cell phones and portable MP3 players.
"They love these toys: Blackberries, Sidekicks, iPods," Navarro said, noting the police recognized the trend once the weather became warmer.
Longtime Inwood resident Carolina Pichardo, 28, is the creator of Young Urban Moms, a parenting website dedicated to parents raising kids in city environments. Pichardo visits the park often with her 8-year-old daughter, Lulu, for family parties, or just to walk along the Hudson or visit the Cloisters.
"It's a little disturbing to hear of these events, especially since the park could be very isolated at times," she wrote in an e-mail.
"I'm very used to letting my daughter run along the different paths and lawn without much hesitation."
