Police: 2 Men Rob Worker At Boat Rental Stand In Central Park
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are searching for two men who they said robbed a worker at a boat rental stand in Central Park.
Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, the suspects walked up to the stand located next to the Boathouse near East 72nd Street, flashed a knife and demanded cash, investigators said.
The suspects took money from the tip jar and stole a cellphone from the teenager who was running the stand before fleeing the scene on foot, police said.
No injuries were reported.
Police: 2 Men Rob Worker At Boat Rental Stand In Central Park
One witness, who didn't want to go on camera, told CBS 2 she saw people chase the suspects after the incident.
"All of a sudden we saw two guys run and then five guys in Boathouse shirts run after them and they ran up the hill towards the 72nd Street exit," the witness said.
The incident shocked visitors to Central Park.
"It's very surprising," said parkgoer Sean Trzy. "I think of it as a nice peaceful park where families can go, where I go to school every day, but just hearing this, it makes me wonder about the safety of this park."
Overall crime is down in and around the park, but petty larcenies are up compared to this time last year, with eight reported this past week compared to three in 2012, CBS 2's Don Champion reported.
In the past month, 21 of the crimes were reported compared to 11 last year.
The hold-up comes a day after police said a 30-year-old woman was bitten during an attack on a trail at the park.
Police said the victim was walking near West Drive and 102nd Street around 9:30 p.m. Monday when a man grabbed her from behind and bit her on the arm during a struggle.
The woman managed to break free and the suspect ran, CBS 2 reported. The victim was treated at Harlem Hospital.
The crimes are not connected.
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