Cops Continue Search For Knife-Wielding Suspect In Pair Of Upper West Side Robberies
NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD is still on the hunt for a suspect in a pair of Upper West Side knifepoint robberies.
On Sunday Jan. 18, at 5:30 p.m. a 72-year-old woman was walking near West 89th Street and Riverside Drive when the suspect approached her with a knife and demanded her purse, according to police.
The woman complied and the suspect took off.
Then, on Saturday Feb. 28, Tanya Leybov, 62, was sitting on a bench near West 84th Street and Riverside Drive when the suspect pulled out a knife, sat down next to her, and demanded money. The victim said she didn't have any cash, began to scream, and the suspect fled.
WANTED: F/20's 5' 125lbs for armed robberies #UpperWestSide Manhattan @NYPD20Pct & @NYPD24Pct. Call #800577TIPS. pic.twitter.com/1nHgCIcCIm
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) March 23, 2015
While no one was injured in either incident, police are warning residents to be extra careful and on the lookout for the suspect.
"It's pretty awful. I would never want that to happen to me or anyone else," one woman told CBS2's Emily Smith.
"I was mugged about three times in the park, so I no longer go there at night," another resident said.
Leybov told CBS2's Tracee Carrasco that she didn't expect to be mugged just blocks away from her home.
"I decided to take a rest so I sat on the bench, and all of the sudden, a woman appeared next to me. Sat next to me," she said.
The woman had a weapon and was looking for cash.
"She said, 'Give me money,' and she pulled out a knife and she said, 'I know you have money,'" Leyboy explained.
The suspect repeated herself and Leybov knew she had to act quickly.
"But I have a cane, so I took my cane and I started screaming," she said.
The muggings have Upper West Side residents looking over their shoulders.
"I watch my back. I look around, make sure I know who's around me, but I've never felt unsafe," Matt Herbek said.
Leybov said it's a lesson learned.
"Now I will be more careful," she said.
The suspect has been described as a black female in her mid 20s. She is 5 feet tall, weighs 125 pounds, and has black curly hair.
Anyone with information regarding this incident has been asked to contact the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS.
The public can also submit their tips by logging on to the Crime Stoppers website or by texting tips to 274637[CRIMES] and entering TIP577.