Police are searching for this suspect who struck up a conversation with a stranger in the parking lot behind a liquor store in St. Albans and then snatched an envelope filled with cash.
Photos courtesy of NYPD
What began as a conversation between two strangers in a small parking lot behind a St. Albans liquor store late last month evolved into the subject of a grand larceny investigation at the 105th Precinct in Queens Village.
A 23-year-old man was in the parking lot on 135th Avenue behind the Springfield Village Liquor and Wine Shop, 134-49 Springfield Blvd., at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Monday, July 29, when another man approached him and started a conversation.
While the two were talking, the unknown man suddenly snatched a white envelope from the victim’s hand and ran out of the parking lot. The victim told police the envelope contained $1,700 in cash. The perpetrator was last seen running on 134th Avenue, police said, adding the victim was not injured in the incident.
The NYPD released surveillance video of the suspect walking through the parking lot, describing him as having medium skin with a beard and mustache. He was wearing a light blue durag, a black T-shirt with a graphic on the front, gray sweatpants and white sneakers.
A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information leading to his arrest.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation 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 Crime Stoppers website at. crimestoppers.nypdonline.orgor on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages will be kept confidential.
As of Aug. 4, the 105th Precinct has reported 348 grand larcenies so far this year, 50 fewer than the 398 reported by the same date in 2023. That represents a 12.6% decrease, according to the latest CompStat report.
