LONG ISLAND CITY — A pair of muggers targeted food delivery workers in the neighborhood by using a disguised phone number to place orders before violently robbing the victims, the NYPD said.
The suspects struck three times over the last month, first attacking a 38-year-old deliveryman on July 6 outside of 33-21 13th St., where one of the men choked the victim from behind while the other stole $2,000 from his pocket, police said.
A little under two weeks later, on July 18, one of the suspects came up from behind and choked a 51-year-old man who was bringing food to 11-52 30th Road in Astoria around 11:30 p.m., swiping the victim's iPhone and $150, according to police.
Finally, on Thursday just after 9:30 p.m., the duo choked a 46-year-old worker in front of 38-59 9th St., taking $400 and two credit cards, the NYPD said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).