A masked stranger pulled a black gun on a 40-year-old man near Avenue V and Haring Street in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, on September 5, demanding his watch, ring, multiple necklaces and cell phone before fleeing in a gray sedan with roughly $23,000 worth of valuables, cops said. The victim was not injured during the encounter, according to police.
The robbery, reported by the New York Daily News, has prompted investigators to release photos of the suspect in hopes that the public can help identify him. Anyone with information is asked to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Tipsters who help lead to an arrest and indictment can collect a reward of up to $3,500 through the program, which is funded by the nonprofit New York City Police Foundation rather than taxpayer dollars, according to NYC.gov.
Where the Robbery Happened
The intersection sits within the jurisdiction of the NYPD's 61st Precinct, headquartered at 2575 Coney Island Avenue and responsible for patrolling Sheepshead Bay along with Homecrest, Gravesend and Manhattan Beach, per NYC.gov. Avenue V itself is described by Forgotten New York as a major east-west residential thoroughfare running through Sheepshead Bay and Homecrest, crossing Haring Street in a low-scale residential stretch lined with multi-family housing blocks.
Sheepshead Bay is a sprawling waterfront community of more than 64,000 residents spread across about 2.28 square miles, bounded by Ocean Parkway to the west and the Atlantic waterfront to the south, according to figures cited on Wikipedia from the U.S. Census and the city's Department of City Planning. The neighborhood's size means a single violent incident can ripple through several residential blocks before word spreads to police.
A Historically Quiet Precinct Faces New Questions
The 61st Precinct has long been counted among Brooklyn's lower-crime residential commands. Major felony crimes there fell 88.2 percent between 1990 and 2018, per figures referenced on Wikipedia, and the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office has reported that shooting incidents in the precinct dropped 71.5 percent in 2023 alone, part of a broader 25 percent decline in shootings across the borough that year.
Even so, residents have voiced growing unease about street safety in recent months. News 12 reported that Sheepshead Bay residents and local council members raised alarms after a midnight street takeover at Knapp Street and Emmons Avenue in August, calling on the 61st Precinct to step up traffic and quality-of-life patrols.
No suspect has been identified or arrested in the Sheepshead Bay case.
Part of a Wider Pattern of Brooklyn Jewelry Heists
The Avenue V robbery adds to a string of armed thefts targeting jewelry and watches across Brooklyn this year. Hoodline previously reported on an East Flatbush gunpoint watch heist.
For now, investigators are relying on the photos released of the suspect and the public's help through the Crime Stoppers tip line to move the case forward. No further details about a possible motive or whether the victim knew his attacker have been disclosed.
