Thief Attacking Brooklyn Seniors May Have Left Behind DNA

Police have linked this man to a series of elderly muggings in Northwest Brooklyn. Photos courtesy of the NYPD

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Police may be able to obtain a DNA sample from the Park Slope mugging suspect believed to have targeted a series of seniors in the neighborhood, Deputy Inspector Frank DiGiacomo, who leads the NYPD’s 78th Precinct, said Wednesday.

DiGiacomo said the suspect did not wear gloves when he allegedly stole about $300 from a 43-year-old man and 81-year-old woman in their apartment building near the intersection of Prospect Place and Carlton Avenue on March 19.

The NYPD is analyzing items he touched, DiGiacomo said, although he added any DNA sample obtained won’t help the investigation if it can't be matched to an existing police record.

“We need to catch this guy,” DiGiacomo said Wednesday at a meeting of the 78 Precinct’s community council. The DI said “all our resources, from our staff to our crime team” are devoted to the search.

The suspect, DiGiacomo said, likely doesn’t live in Park Slope, because he has yet to be identified by any community members.

On Thursday, police released new photos of the suspect (included above) they said came from a security camera near the location of the man’s most recent alleged crime — a March 26th assault on an 83-year-old woman near the intersection of Ocean Parkway and Beverly Road.

Detectives describe the suspect as a male between 40 and 60 years old who stands at about 5’10”.

The alleged Park Slope crimes took place in the NYPD’s 78th Precinct. According to official police statistics, through March 20, major crimes were collectively down nearly 29 percent in the 78th compared to the same time period last year.

One of the attendees at Wednesday’s meeting, a 71-year-old woman who didn't want to give her name, identified herself as the suspect’s third victim.

On February 11, police said, the suspect followed the victim into her home near the intersection of Prospect Place and 6th Avenue, tried to tie her up, and struck her on the lip with a gun before stealing about $375.

The woman said the ordeal lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes in total.

She said she has lived in Park Slope for about 30 years, and that she could never have foreseen an attack like this.

“It wouldn’t have mattered what I had done," she said. "I was grabbed in a stronghold and I had a gun in my mouth.”

Anyone with information can confidentially report it on the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers website, or anonymously call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Los hispanohablantes pueden llamar 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be text-messaged to the NYPD by texting 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577.