Mugger Attacks Five Women on Upper East Side

By [Josh Rogers ] A Thanksgiving Day mugger tried to rob at least five Upper East Side women in their buildings last week and is still at large, police say. No one was injured in any of the attacks last Wednesday and Thursday, but the man threatened to stab one woman and pushed another to the ground, according to police. Two of the incidents occurred close to the East River and 79th Street, and the others were midblock between First and Second avenues on 69th, 89th and 96th streets. Three of the five victims are in their mid-20s, one is 35 and the other is 56. â??We"ve been trying to get the word out, and increasing patrols, said a detective in the 19th Precinct who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press. No crimes since Thanksgiving have been linked to the same suspect. Police released a sketch and surveillance video of the suspect wearing a hooded sweatshirt. They are asking people to call 800-577-TIPS or visit NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM if they have information about any of the crimes. Police say the mugger is a black man in his thirties with a medium-to-dark complexion, 6-foot to 6-foot 2-inches tall, about 220-lbs., clean-shaven and bald. The first of three crimes Wed., Nov. 24, occurred at 12:40 p.m. in a building on East 79th Street near the FDR Drive. The robber grabbed a 26-year-old woman from behind and threatened her in an attempt to keep her silent, police said. When she screamed, the suspect fled without taking any money. A few hours later, at 3 p.m., the same man is believed to have grabbed a 25-year-old woman in her 69th Street building as she was walking down the stairs. He forced her into her apartment, demanding money and jewelry, taking an unspecified amount of both. Then at 6:20 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve, the mugger approached a 35-year-old woman as she was entering her building on 93rd Street between First and Second avenues, forcing her into the vestibule, police said. When she screamed, the suspect fled without stealing anything. Then at 10:15 a.m. on Thanksgiving, while much of the NYPD was on crowd control on the West Side for the parade, the suspect snuck up on a 56-year-old woman from behind, covering her mouth. He forced her into the vestibule of her building on 89th Street, according to police. When the woman screamed, the would-be robber pushed her to the ground and then ran away without taking any money. Police say the mugger later went back toward the river and managed to get into a building on East 78th Street. He came up behind a 26-year-old woman who was getting her mail, and according to police, said, â??I have a knife am not going to hurt you. I just want your money. The suspect took her money, iPod and watch before fleeing west on 78th Street.