Police say an armed robber is lurking around a train station in Westchester, preying on exhausted commuters walking home.
Pelham authorities believe the same man is behind three robberies since January. In each case, the robber carries a semi-automatic weapon and stalks his victims from behind, then orders them on the ground before he takes their valuables, police said.
"You get off the train, you're back in your hometown, you feel comfortable, your mind's starting to go at ease, and then to have somebody come up behind you, yes, that's very scary," said Detective John Hynes of the Pelham Police Department.
The most recent incident was last Wednesday; like in the other two cases, the victim was walking home from the train station late at night.
Officers were working on overtime and fanned out in the neighborhood Monday night to find the suspect, said Hynes.
The suspect is about 6 feet tall and 175 to 200 pounds.
Until he is caught, Mayor Ed Hotchkiss is warning residents to be particularly cautious.
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"In our area, it's not that often that somebody uses a gun, and that's why we're really quite concerned about this," said Hotchkiss. "Luckily, all three times, nobody put up any resistance and nobody was hurt. But you never know what can happen, and the stakes go up higher when you have a gun."
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