Police Seek Man Wanted for 14 Long Island Robberies

WESTBURY, NY— Detectives are investigating a Monday morning robbery in Westbury similar in nature to numerous others that have occurred over the past few months: an armed man enters a store on Long Island, ties up employees and steals cash.

According to authorities, a woman working at Babies R Us, located at 1350 Corporate Drive, went to the front door let her female coworker inside when a masked man entered the doors behind them and displayed a black handgun at 5 a.m.

The man ordered the two women, ages 40 and 60, to the back office where police said he handcuffed one woman with metal costume handcuffs and had her lie on the floor.

He then forced the 40-year-old woman to open a safe and put an undetermined amount of cash inside a canvass bag, police said.

The robber then restrained the woman with the same type of handcuffs and forced her to lie on top of her 60-year-old coworker, police said. The robber fled the store in an unknown direction, police said.

No injuries were reported.

Police described the man as black, age 25-25, between 5-foot-8 to 6-feet tall, and wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt, dark pants and a black ski mask covering his face.

Police said he has been armed with a black semi-automatic handgun and often restrains his victims with zip-ties or handcuffs before fleeing on foot.

At least 13 other similar robberies–many of them at women’s clothing stores–have occurred in Nassau and Suffolk since September:

• Dec. 4: Gunman Ties Up Workers, Robs Huntington Station Tanning Salon
• Nov. 22: Masked Gunman Robs Huntington Station Home Decor Store, Ties Up Employees and Customers
• Nov. 17: Armed Man Ties Up Workers, Robs Carle Place Women’s Clothing Store
• Nov. 16: Gunman Ties Up Workers, Customers at N. Lindenhurst Women’s Clothing Store
• Oct. 25: Armed Man Robs North Babylon Women’s Clothing Store
• Oct. 12: Gunman Ties Up Employees During Robbery at West Babylon Women’s Clothing Store
• Oct. 8: Armed Robber Ties Up Workers, Customers at Carle Place Women’s Clothing Store
• Oct. 5: Customer Hurt During Armed Robbery at East Meadow Women’s Clothing Store
• Sept. 17: Robbery at Dress Barn, located at 1700 Lakeville Road in N. New Hyde Park.
• Sept. 15: Robery at Torrid, located at 940 Old Country Road in Westbury.
• Sept. 7: Man Robs East Farmingdale Women’s Clothing Store at Gunpoint
• Aug. 31: Robbery at Dollar Tree, located at 3767 Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown.
• Aug. 20: Police Seek Man Who Handcuffed Employees, Robbed Hicksville Petco at Gunpoint

No arrests have been made in any of these robberies.

Nassau and Suffolk Crime Stoppers offer a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information regarding the robberies is asked to call anonymously to Suffolk Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS or Nassau Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.

Image via Google Maps, NCPD