NEW YORK CITY — The Queens businesswoman who was dragged into a minivan in broad daylight, beaten, and then released after the robbers realized she didn’t have any cash had half a million dollars stolen from her two years ago, police said.
The 52-year-old woman, who runs a car service in Queens, was biking from her gym on July 20 about 11:25 a.m. when a group of four or five men rammed her with their Honda Odyssey near 73-20 30th Ave. in East Elmhurst, cops said.
“She herself had been a complainant two years ago in a burglary involving her business,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. “$500,000 in cash supposedly was taken.”
The woman, who has not been identified, escaped last week’s robbery attempt with minor injuries to her lip, arm, and knee, a police spokesman said.
The men tied the woman with zip ties, blindfolded, and sped off, cops said.
“Where is the money?” they shouted as they beat her. She told them that she had no cash on her because she had just come from the gym, sources said.
After 20 minutes, they threw her from the van in front of 32-48 98th St., about 1 and 1/2 miles away, and drove off empty-handed, police said.
The whole thing happened in broadlight, within plain sight of people walking their dogs, cops said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).
