1 Arrest, More Sought in Knife-Wielding Robbery Crew

Police are looking for this man in connection with a robbery crew that has struck at least four businesses in the city. -Photo by NYPD

By Dan Gesslein 

Manhattan Voice 

June 21, 2023 

MANHATTAN - Police arrested a homeless man in connection with a robbery crew that has struck at least four times throughout the city. 

Police arrested 19-year-old Eugene Jones who is homeless. He has been charged with four counts of robbery. 

Cops are searching for at least three other men caught on surveillance video robbing four commercial establishments including a bakery and two dry cleaners. The latest robbery took place inside a beauty salon in Kips Bay.

At around 5 pm on June 12, two of the suspects walked into the salon on East 33rd Street. Cops said the suspects walked inside the store and demanded cash from the 43-year-old employee. She handed over $264 from the register and a cell phone, investigators said. 

Jones was arrested shortly after this robbery. Cops said in two other cases the crew members displayed a knife when demanding cash.

At around 11 am on June 10, three men walked into High Point Cleaners on East 40th Street. As they approached the counter, one of the men pulled out a knife and menaced a 40-year-old male employee, cops said. 

Another member of the group went behind the counter and removed $100 from the cash register, cops said. With cash in hand, the trio walked out of the dry cleaners and fled on foot westbound on 39th Street. 

No one was injured. The thieves struck again 40 minutes later near 33rd Street.  

At around 11:40 am, two of the group walked into Buttercup Bake Shop on Madison Avenue. One of the men pulled out a knife and threatened the female cashier, cops say. The other man grabbed $600 from the register. The robbers then walked out of the store and fled in an unknown direction. 

No injuries were reported. 

Police released surveillance video of the suspects which showed off some distinctive rings and ink. 

One of the suspects has a light complexion and heavy build and was last seen wearing a dark hoodie and a backpack. 

The second suspect has a medium complexion and thin build. He was last seen wearing a dark hoodie and yellow pants. A close up of the suspect’s hand reveals two gold rings: one had the head of a horse surrounded by a horse shoe and the other was a square. He has tattoo of the letter “M” in script on his left hand.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips. 

All calls are strictly confidential.