Police are searching for a bold suspect with an appetite for crime, wanted in two robberies on back-to-back days, one of them caught on camera inside an Upper East Side nail salon.
Surveillance video from Miss Nails, located at 1185 Lexington Avenue, between East 80th and 81st Streets in Lenox Hill, shows the suspect inside the business on Wednesday, January 11 around 10:20 am, police say.
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He’s seen walking up to the receptionist desk and peering over the edge.
Apparently noticing something almost immediately, the suspect moves behind the desk and reaches out to grab something right before the video cuts off. Police say he stole $1,100 from the UES nail salon’s cash register before fleeing down the block.
The next day, investigators say the same man approached a driver dropping off a passenger in front of 201 East 15th Street in Gramercy. Simulating he had a weapon, police say he demanded the keys to the victim’s car. The 31-year-old victim handed over the keys to his 2020 Toyota and the suspect drove away, detectives say.
Thankfully, no one was hurt in either incident.
Robberies on the Upper East Side are already starting to outpace last year, with 15 reported in through January 29th, one more than in the same period in 2021, according to NYPD data.
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Police describe the suspect in this pair of robberies as a man with a medium build standing 6’ tall, last seen wearing a black jacket, black pants and grey knit ski hat.
If you recognize the suspect or have any information that can help police, you’re asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477. All calls are confidential.
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