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Read the press release here.

NYPD Offering $2,500 Reward for Tips on Teen Robbing Kids Near Schools

By Allegra Hobbs | December 1, 2016 12:14pm
 Police are offering up to $2,500 for tips on the identity of a teenage boy they say has been robbing students near neighborhood high schools.
Police are offering up to $2,500 for tips on the identity of a teenage boy they say has been robbing students near neighborhood high schools.
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NYPD

LOWER EAST SIDE — Police are offering up to $2,500 for tips on the identity of a teenage boy they say has been robbing students using violent threats near neighborhood high schools.

The 16- or 17-year-old boy has been connected to five robberies between Nov. 14 and Nov. 28. In each case, the boy approached other teenagers near schools, threatened them with gun or knife violence and forced them to hand over cash, police said.

Most recently, the suspect went up to a 16-year-old boy on Essex Street near Grand Street as he was walking home from the Lower Manhattan Arts Academy just after 3 p.m. on Nov. 28 and asked if he had change for a $20.

The student started to pull out $18 and then said "Sorry, I don't," at which point the suspect snatched the cash from his hand, according to a police report.

When the victim asked for his money back, the suspect said "I just got out of jail and I will stab you," and then fled north on Essex Street, according to authorities.

The suspect has been linked to four similar incidents targeting students between ages 13 and 15 near the victims' schools.

The teen suspect is described as standing between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10 with a slim build. During the most recent incident, he wore burgundy boots and carried a purple backpack, according to a police report.

Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.