Man Punched In Attempted Sutton Place Watch Robbery: Police

SUTTON PLACE, NY — A pair of violent muggers who punched a man in Sutton Place during an attempted robbery are being sought by police, officials say.

The two men are believed to also be connected to a pair of armed stickups in Brooklyn and Queens, where the robbers made off with cash and two Rolex watches valued at a total of $53,000, according to officials.

On Oct. 19, a 47-year-old man was walking on East 57th Street between First and Second avenues at around 5:30 p.m. when the dangerous duo came up to him and told him to hand over his valuables, police said.

The two men then punched the man in the face and tried to rip his watch off of his wrist, police said.

But their violence was in vain and the watch remained with its owner after the two men could not remove it, police said, and then fled in a dark-colored SUV in an unknown direction.

Officials said the victim suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention.

In the Brooklyn and Queens stickups, the two men — plus a third in the Brooklyn robbery — threatened their victims with a handgun, officials said, and neither victims were physically injured.

Police also released images of two men and a vehicle believed to be connected to the three robberies.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).