Police are looking for a single suspect in connection with a string of violent subway robberies in Queens stations within a three-week span, authorities say.
The first case in the pattern dates back to May 3, when cops say the man grabbed a 60-year-old victim from behind and threw him down the stairs in the Jamaica Avenue and 179th Street station around 1:30 a.m.
He brandished a knife and grabbed the victim's wallet before fleeing, cops said. That victim suffered a concussion and elbow laceration; he was treated at a hospital.
On May 13, cops say the same suspect allegedly snatched a phone from a 25-year-old woman when the train doors opened on a southbound E train in the Jamaica-Van Wyck subway station.
The suspect allegedly struck again exactly a week later, on May 20, at the Sutphin Boulevard Subway station around 6 p.m. In that case, he allegedly walked up to a 56-year-old victim and asked for money. When the victim refused, the suspect pulled out a screwdriver, pushed him to the wall and kicked him in the leg, then jacked his wallet and ran off. The victim refused medical attention at the scene.
Three days later, police say the same suspect allegedly walked up to a 67-ear-old man and asked for money inside the 169th Street subway station around 6:30 p.m. When the victim refused, the suspect pushed him to the ground and stole his wallet before running off. That victim suffered a minor elbow abrasion.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
Police released a surveillance image of the suspect (above). Anyone with information about him is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
