Police are looking for a suspect involved in a daring late night robbery in Central Park as the NYPD warns robberies in the beloved landmark locale are up 200%.
The latest robbery occurred at the plaza on the southeastern edge of the park at 59th Street and 5th Avenue around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the NYPD.
Police said three people were walking together when they were approached by a group of four, and one person within that approaching group simulated having a firearm. One of the suspects took a pair of AirPods and a chain, and as the group took off three were arrested, but one got away, according to police.
Police said no one was injured in the robbery, which is part of a troubling trend this year.
Within the more than 800 acres of Central Park, robberies are up 200% so far in 2024 with 30 occurring this year, compared to 10 at the same time last year, according to NYPD data.
“Multiple people surrounding people, robbing them knifepoint, gunpoint, sometimes just forcibly robbing people, so it’s a problem that we’ve got to get on top of,” Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard tells NBC New York.
“It’s scary,” said Harry Lawton of Williamsburg. “It’s awful and scary.”
The NYPD said it is increasing patrols, adding cameras throughout the park, and launching drones to cover more ground.
“You can’t have a camera everywhere and see the whole place, however we’ve done it before ,and we expect to push these numbers back down and make sure people understand Central Park is safe,” Sheppard said.
