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Armed Robber Targeting Elderly Women Hits Fifth Victim in Kensington: NYPD

 Photos of the suspect in a string of armed robberies targeting elderly women in Brooklyn and Queens.
Photos of the suspect in a string of armed robberies targeting elderly women in Brooklyn and Queens.
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NYPD

BROOKLYN — An armed robber who's been targeting elderly women struck again Saturday, hitting an 83-year-old woman in the face before fleeing her Kensington apartment building, police said.

The attack was the fifth in a string involving a robber trailing older women to their homes, then forcing his way in and assaulting them while demanding money.

The victims range in age from 71 to 91 and the robberies have happened over the past three months in Prospect Heights, Park Slope and Ridgewood, Queens.

The Saturday crime happened at 4:38 p.m. near Beverley Road and Ocean Parkway, police said. The robber followed the woman into her building, knocked on her door, then hit her in the face with a hard object. He fled before taking any money or valuables, police said.

Police believe the robber has been targeting elderly women in a string of incidents dating back to at least January.

► On Jan. 20 on Myrtle Avenue and Weirfield Street in Ridgewood, the robber followed a 76-year-old woman as she approached her house at about 5 p.m. When she reached the door, the robber put his hands over her mouth and forced her inside, police said. Once inside, the suspect threatened an 87-year-old man in the house with a knife and a gun and demanded money. He fled with $800, police said.

► On Feb. 11 at about 2:30 p.m., the suspect followed a 71-year-old woman into her house near Prospect Place and Sixth Avenue on the border of Prospect Heights and Park Slope, then stole $375 after hitting the woman and trying to tie her up, according to the NYPD.

► On March 2, the robber struck in Park Slope, following a 91-year-old woman into her home on Ninth Street near Prospect Park West and stealing about $170 from her while beating and choking her, police said.

► On March 19 at about 5:15 p.m., the same suspect followed a 43-year-old man into his home near Prospect Place and Carlton Avenue in Prospect Heights and demanded money, according to police. Then the robber spotted an 81-year-old woman in the building and approached her with a gun and boxcutter. The suspect stole $330.

The NYPD is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the suspect's arrest, and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has added $1,000 of his own money to the reward pot.

Anyone with information about these incidents can call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).