Bronx Knifepoint Robbery Caught On Video; 3 Suspects Sought
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The NYPD want your help identifying three suspects caught on video committing a knifepoint robbery in the Bronx.
It happened at 4:20 a.m. Sunday in front of a building at Boynton Avenue and East 172nd Street in the Soundview section.
The suspect ambushed and robbed the man right in front of his own home. Now his entire family is living in fear that those thieves might come back, and worried that next time someone could get really hurt, reported CBS2's Marc Liverman.
The victim, identified as Wilson Juntamay, was opening his security gate when he was approached by three men. One of them put a knife to his throat and pushed him right up against the fence. A third suspect took a tinfoil plate and slammed it into Juntamay's face.
Surveillance video captured the entire incident.
"As soon as he opened the gate, one of the robbers came right in front him," Juntamay's niece told Liverman. "He said 'Where do you think you're going?'"
Within seconds, Juntamay was thrown up against the fence.
"One of them put that on his face, and they checked him all over, and they were like 'Give me everything you got,'" his niece said.
They stole his cell phone and $80 in cash before calmly walking away.
"There's no reason to rob anyone. I mean, anyone could get a job or do something. There's no reason to harm anyone to get something," she said.
Fortunately, the Juntamay wasn't injured.
"I was just like 'OK, he's alive, that's all that counts.' I mean, everything else is materialistic. It's OK that could be gone, that could be replaced, but a family member couldn't," she said. "I have a very deep love for him, he's always been with me since I was small. He's always, like, taking care of me like I'm his own."
Nonetheless, the psychological trauma is weighing heavily on him, Liverman reported.
"He goes to work, comes back and stays home," she said.
She says that what happened has entire family looking over their shoulder, knowing that the three men are still out there.
"It's just a little scary, because you don't want to be going alone," she said. "My block isn't as safe as it was before."
She says her uncle didn't recognize any of the suspects.
Anyone with any information is asked to call NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via the Crime Stoppers website, by Tweeting @NYPDTips or by texting a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.