Men Connected To Hell’s Kitchen Robbery Released Without Bail: Report

MIDTOWN, NY – Brian Castillos and Alexander Ayala are accused of stealing a woman's necklace and purse on Aug. 12 while she walked down 11th Avenue near 49th Street, according to the New York Post.

The victim, who was reportedly with a young child at the time of the incident, told police that her purse contained two credit cards and a cell phone.

The men connected to the robbery are both migrants; one, Castillos, is from Venezuela, according to the report.

Charged with grand larceny, endangering the welfare of a child, and petit larceny – none of which are bail-eligible offenses – Castillos, 22, was released by Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Pamela Goldsmith on Aug. 23, after prosecutors did not object to his release, “which seemed to shock the judge,” the Post wrote.

Why? Because Castillos reportedly has a significant criminal history that includes one open felony charge.

In May, Castillos tried to shoplift $299 worth of merchandise from a Macy’s in Brooklyn, according to the Post, and days later, he was arrested for using a stolen credit card at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, an incident for which he was slapped with the felony charge.

Castillos also reportedly pleaded guilty to stealing a police officer’s body camera in May.

Alexander Ayala

On Aug. 12, Castillos’s supposed accomplice in the Hell’s Kitchen robbery, Alexander Ayala, 24, stole the victim's phone and credit card, which Ayala tried to use later that day, according to court records.

Charged with identity theft and criminal possession of stolen property – neither of which are bail-eligible – prosecutors requested supervised release. Instead, Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Simiyon Haniff reportedly let Ayala walk, released on his own recognizance.

Ayala also has a formidable rap sheet, according to the Post, which includes a domestic violence incident and an assault of two police officers at a Manhattan shelter back in May.

Although prosecutors had asked the courts to hold Ayala after the May incident, he was reportedly let go on supervised release.

Castillos is due back in court on Sept. 17, Ayala on Sept. 12.