Moped Crooks Rob 4 People In Midtown, Upper East Side: Police

MIDTOWN, NY — A pair of moped-riding crooks are behind at least five muggings in Midtown, the Upper East Side and Morningside Heights, with most occuring within a three-hour window on the same day, police said.

The first mugging targeted a 38-year-old woman walking near First Avenue and Eaast 52nd Street on Dec. 15 at about 8:40 p.m., police said.

When the crooks ripped a purse from her shoulder, she was knocked to the ground and suffered minor injuries, police said.

Most of the mayhem took place three days later, on Dec. 18, where the pair of moped muggers targeted four people in Morningside Heights, Midtown and the Upper East Side.

Their spree began at about 7:40 p.m., when the duo robbed a 37-year-old man near West 122th Street and Claremont Avenue, police said.

An hour later, the crooks were riding near Eighth Avenue and West 53rd Street when they stole a wallet from a 22-year-old woman, officials said.

And almost like clockwork, they robbed their next victim an hour later, at around 9:40 p.m.

This time they returned east, robbing a 28-year-old of her purse at Lexington Avenue and East 59th Street, police said.

At around 10:10 p.m., the pair ended their day of mayhem by ripping a purse from a 40-year-old woman near East 55th Street and Lexington Avenue, causing her to fall to the ground, officials said.

According to police, the 40-year-old victim suffered minor injuries and was the only reported injury of the day. She was treated by paramedics at the scene, officials said.

Police released images of the duo from two different robberies and ask that anyone with information in regard to these incidents is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).