Woman Followed, Attacked By Knife-Wielding Mugger On Upper East Side
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A woman was robbed at knifepoint while walking on the Upper East Side.
Now, the NYPD is trying to find the man who attacked her.
As CBS2's Marc Liverman reported, police said it happened near East 74th Street and 5th Ave. They said the man ran into Central Park and got away.
"It's scary," Carol Susie said, "Unexpected."
Surveillance video from a nearby apartment building shows the man slowly walking in the direction of his victim on East 74th Street. The robbery itself happened just seconds later.
"Something like that at one in the morning on a weeknight, that shouldn't be happening, especially in the neighborhood," Joseph Gregorio said.
Police said the man responsible followed a 35-year-old woman down the street before pushing her up against a wall, displaying a knife, and demanding her money.
"Now it's going to make us a lot more scared," Susie said.
Police said the man got away with the woman's bag. On Friday, CBS2 went to her apartment, but she never answered the door.
Residents said one of the reasons they moved to the area was because of how safe they thought it was.
"I've heard," Rachel Lahav said.
Some in the area said they had seen the suspect before.
One woman said she's lived on the block since the 70s and has never heard of something like this happening.
The number of reported robbery cases in the 19th Precinct is up 21 percent year-to-date.