An 11-year-old migrant boy has been nabbed in connection with a Central Park mugging as NYPD cops tamp down an uptick in muggings in the iconic greenspace, police said Wednesday.
Cops took the child into custody around 10 p.m. Tuesday at Midtown’s Roosevelt Hotel, which houses migrant families, officials said.
Cops zeroed in on the child after they learned he was in possession of credit cards stolen during a recent robbery in the park, police sources said.
Police filed a juvenile report and returned the child to the care of a guardian, an NYPD spokesman said.
Investigators believe the child is part of a migrant crew responsible for at least some of the robberies inside the park, a police source said.
As of Aug. 4, cops have seen a 222% jump in robberies in Central Park this year, with 29 incidents this year compared to nine by this time last year. Felony assaults have also jumped in Central Park this year, from five by this time last year to 10 so far this year, cops said.
After the child was taken into custody, two 20-year-old men were robbed inside the park Tuesday night, cops said. The two men were walking along West Drive near W. 62nd St. about 10:45 p.m. when two crooks approached and forced them to give up their jewelry and a hat.
No arrests have been made in that mugging.
At 1 a.m. Tuesday, two men, ages 21 and 35, and a 15-year-old boy were robbed of jewelry and their earbuds at gunpoint just outside the park at 59th St. and Fifth Ave.
The robbery was committed by four teens with a pistol, the victims told police. Cops ultimately grabbed three of the teens, ages 14, 16, and 17. All three were charged with robbery.
The gun wasn’t recovered and the fourth teen has not been caught.
Robberies in the park began creeping up in the spring. By the end of April, cops were already investigating 18 robberies in Central Park and vowed to increase patrols, install cameras and bring in NYPD auxiliary officers to protect park goers.
In May, Central Park was added to the NYPD’s Drone as First Responder pilot program, where drones are flown over areas where 911 emergency calls have been made. The roof of the Central Park Precinct stationhouse was outfitted with equipment for drone takeoffs and landings.
On Tuesday, Mayor Adams said the NYPD “could do a better job in using drones” to police Central Park “from the sky.”
“There’s some new technology that we’re looking at that I think is going to assist us,” Adams added. “People must feel safe in all our parks in general, but specifically in Central Park, because of the large number of people who visit there.”
“When something happens in Central Park, it becomes a huge international story,” he added. “And so we’re on top of it. And the (NYPD) commissioner is responding accordingly.”
