MANHATTAN — An off-duty police officer was mugged as he walked through the West Village, according to NYPD posters appealing for help catching the robber.
The NYPD is offering a $2,000 reward for information.
The victim, 26, was approached by a man who flashed a gun and demanded cash around 2 a.m. on July 7 in front of 26 Commerce St., west of Seventh Avenue South.
The same suspect, who police described as 30 to 40 years old, 6-foot-tall and 200 pounds, is also wanted in connection with another robbery in the Village on June 25.
Around 6 a.m., a 52-year-old man walking on West 4th Street near Grove Street was approached by the suspect, who showed a gun and fled with cash.
No arrests have been made in either case, police said.
NYPD fliers offering the $2,000 reward have been posted in the Village.
The number of robberies in the 6th Precinct — which covers Greenwich Village, the West Village and the Meatpacking District — has risen slightly this year through August 5 compared with the same period last year, increasing from 89 to 92 robberies, according to NYPD statistics.
Crime within seven major categories has also risen slightly in the last year, the data showed. There were 866 reported incidents through August 5 last year and 895 incidents this year within the same period.
Anyone with information in regard to either incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
All calls are strictly confidential.
