A 30-year-old man hoping to get an e-bike through Facebook Marketplace ended up getting robbed at knifepoint after a crew of thieves used the popular online site to lure him to the Bronx, police said Saturday.
Cops released images of the thieves wanted in the May 16 hold-up in the hopes someone recognizes them. Their methods were disturbingly similar to a Bronx robbery spree where a crew of crooks pretended to sell cars on Facebook Marketplace only to rob their victims of cash earmarked for the auto, cops said.
Two of the muggers were wearing black-and-white sneakers, the same colored footwear worn by the suspects responsible for at least eight robberies in the Bronx and Queens after meeting their victims on Facebook Marketplace, police said.
The victim told police he was looking to buy an e-bike when he found one being advertised on Facebook Marketplace. After reaching out to the seller, the victim agreed to meet the stranger outside Claremont Park near the corner of Teller Ave. and E. 171st St.
Once he arrived at the scene around 6:30 p.m. he was met by three men who pulled a knife on him, cops said.
The crooks punched and kicked him before running off with his wallet, which contained $800 and several bank cards.
The victim was left bruised and battered, but refused medical attention at the scene, cops said.
The thieves were last seen running down E. 171s St. No arrests have been made. They’re described as light-skinned men between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-8 with slim builds, police said.
The crooks wanted for the robbery spree have used a gun, knife, metal bat and a club with nails sticking out to intimidate their victims, cops said. They’ve stolen about $27,000 cash during the heists as well as two cars belonging to their victims, cops said.
They are also wanted for swiping a 26-year-old woman’s car they found unoccupied with the engine running off the Cross Bronx Expressway near Olmstead Ave. in Parkchester on Dec. 29.
Over the past two months, the bandits used Facebook Marketplace to advertise a vehicle for sale, investigators said. On six occasions, they arranged to meet up with someone looking to purchase their vehicle but instead robbed the buyer of the cash earmarked for the auto.
The crew have stolen about $27,000 cash during the heists as well as two cars belonging to their victims, cops said.
Detectives tied the string of robberies together after recovering surveillance footage of multiple incidents showing the same perpetrators, a police source said.
May 16, 2024: Facecrooks
New York Daily News Front page of the New York Daily News for May 16, 2024: Armed crew uses Facebook Marketplace, lures victims, steals cash and vehicles. Police say two suspects robbed Facebook users of cars and cash.
An NYPD spokeswoman said the May 16 robbery hasn’t been immediately linked to the crime spree, but detectives were still looking into a possible connection.
Facebook created Marketplace in 2016. By 2021, the wildly popular meet-up spot for buyers and sellers was getting more than 1 billion visitors a month, according to the website bigcommerce.com.
Cops are asking anyone with information regarding any of these robberies to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
