'Acid'-Toting Robber Strikes On Upper East Side, Police Say

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A woman was threatened with acid and robbed at the same Upper East Side bank where a similar robbery occurred earlier this month, an NYPD spokesman told Patch. The NYPD is investigating whether the two robberies are connected, but have not made a conclusion, the spokesman told Patch.

On Monday, a 36-year-old woman was withdrawing cash at a Citibank located on First Avenue and East 86th Street when a man approached her, police told Patch. The man showed the woman a bottle containing an unknown liquid, and threatened to splash the woman unless she withdrew $1,000 for him, police said.

The woman withdrew $500 and handed it to the man, police told Patch. The man fled down First Avenue around 5:30 p.m., but was not caught, police said. The woman did not suffer physical injuries during the robbery, police said.

The robbery is nearly identical to a May 12 robbery at the same Citi Bank. The NYPD is currently investigating whether the same suspect is wanted in both crimes, police told Patch.

On May 12, a 22-year-old woman was withdrawing cash at the ATM around 5:30 p.m. when a man threatened her with an unknown liquid.

"Yo, Mami, I have acid, and I’m gonna throw it in your face if you don’t give me $1,000," the robber said, police sources told the Daily News. An NYPD spokesman could not confirm this detail with Patch.

An NYPD spokesman told Patch that the victims gave police different descriptions of the robber.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) y 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) para Español.

Photo by Google Maps street view.