Two 86th Street banks were robbed within days of each other last week, leaving similar clues that may link the two to the same robber.
The first robbery was on March 28 at a branch near Bay 29th Street. The thief entered at around 4 pm and gave a note to the teller.
“I have a gun,” it read. “Pass me $100s and $50s. I don’t want to shoot anyone.”
The teller complied, and handed over $1,112 to the thief, who stopped her before she could throw in a dye pack, police said. The perp exited with the cash, heading for the D train at Bay Parkway.
A week later, another bank, this one near Bay Parkway, was robbed at around 4 pm. As in the other case, the thief walked in and handed a note to the teller, who handed over $1,000.
Both crimes were on a Friday afternoon, around 4 pm — and both crooks held their hands in their pocket to simulate a gun. Also in both robberies, the thieves handed over similar notes and took in similar sums of money.
Yet police were not ready to say that both incidents were related.
Teenage mug
A teenager walking home on Stillwell Avenue, was choked and robbed by a thief who approached from behind on April 6.
The 17-year-old was near Quentin Road, at around 11 pm when the thug approached and put his arm around the victim’s neck. Shoving an unknown weapon into the teen’s back, the thug asked the victim to cough up what ever he had and not look behind him.
The teenager complied, giving the thief $30 and his electronics, police said.
Bedroom burg
A thug cleaned out a Benson Avenue apartment on April 5.
The 30-year-old tenant returned to his apartment, which is near Bay 41st Street, at around 10:30 am to discover that a perp had come in through a second-floor rear window and somehow bypassed the alarm system.
Once inside, he swiped electronics and jewelry, police said.
Car break-in
A car was broken into and robbed in front of its owner’s 82nd Street home on April 4.
The 44-year-old woman returned to her car, which was near 15th Avenue, at around 2:45 pm and found that a perp had smashed the driver’s-side window and swiped her purse.
She told cops that the bag contained $400 and credit and debit cards. But the good news is that a neighbor took a snapshot of the perp’s face, cops said.
Flattened funds
A Good Samaritan had his cash and credit cards robbed as he attempted to help a stranger with a flat tire on 86th Street on March 28.
But the flat tire was just a ruse in this dastardly crime at around 1:30 pm near Bay 42nd Street.
The victim agreed to help the man and his supposed flat tire. The “victim” told the man to go into his trunk to get the air pump, but while he was doing that, the thief took $100 from the man’s car.
