Apartment building robberies leave Washington Heights residents on edge and worried about safety
NEW YORK -- A pair of armed robberies last week has sparked frustration and safety concerns for neighbors in Washington Heights.
The first robbery happened at Riverside and West 156th Street, where CBS2's Tim McNicholas reported from on Monday.
The apartment building in question has a 24-hour doorman and security cameras. None of that was enough to stop a man with a gun from robbing someone right outside in broad daylight.
Police say a man robbed a 64-year-old of his wallet at around 2 p.m. on Tuesday and then ran to the West 157th and Broadway train station about a block away.
"I was shocked to hear about it. In the seven years I've lived here, I felt so safe," neighbor Carol Anne Herlihy said.
Herlihy said she learned about the robbery from a building-wide alert.
"Apologies for the nature of this report, but it is imperative our building is aware of an alert regarding the rise in crime outside and around 790 Riverside Drive," Herlihy said, describing what the alert said.
Video obtained by CBS2 appears to show the suspect lurking outside the building right before the robbery happened.
Word quickly spread across the street, where neighbor Wendee Corsino has lived for more than 30 years. She said she doesn't feel safe.
"No, absolutely not. I go to work different hours of the day, sometimes early mornings, late evenings, and I'm always afraid," Corsino said.
Police said the suspect hopped on a northbound train to 180th and Fort Washington, where he stole a woman's purse at gunpoint just after 3:30 p.m.
"It's frightening. It's almost like they're hopping on, just moving from location to location and just terrorizing our city," Corsino said.
Back on Riverside Drive later that same day, a woman reported a man tried to assault her in the vestibule of a building just south of where the first robbery happened.
All of it has been a wake-up call for neighbors.
"I think I should be a little more awake, a little more alert," Herlihy said.
"Maybe we need some foot patrol. Go back to old school policing where you knew your neighborhood police officer, so that might help," Corsino added.
The local community board is holding a virtual meeting on Monday night at 7 p.m. Neighbors plan to speak up about their safety concerns and they hope to talk about solutions.
