A man who allegedly tried to rob two patrons staying at the Wingate Hotel in midtown Tuesday morning is in police custody after a search that involved the shutdown of stores and offices in the busy area.
The man allegedly tried to rob two tourists in the tourists' room as they slept at the 35th Street hotel, a police source told NBC 4 New York.
The tourist, who only gave his first name, Victor, said he still had his headphones in when he heard another noise.
"I woke up, looked over my shoulder and there he was," he said, recalling seeing the thief holding their wallets and watches.
Victor ran after the alleged robber, who ducked into a nearby building.
Inside the building, an employee at the Nanette Lepore clothing studio on the fifth floor went to the men's room and noticed a strange pair of sneakers underneath the stall door and had a co-worker call police, according to another employee, Michelle Jonason.
Police arrested the suspect and escorted him out of the building, and a crowd of bystanders booed him. The suspect was on a stretcher and put into an ambulance, though it's not clear why.
Local
No one immediately picked up the phone at the hotel.
It wasn't clear what charges the suspect would face.
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BREAKING: Midtown hotel robbery suspect in custody. @NBCNewYork pic.twitter.com/dszn8QNHoF — Marc Santia (@MarcSantia4NY) September 30, 2014
