A still-unidentified robber slipped behind the counter of a commercial establishment on Knapp Street in Brooklyn two weeks ago, cracked open a safe and made off with $350 before fleeing on a moped — but not before tangling physically with a 60-year-old employee who tried to stop them.
According to NYPD Crime Stoppers
, the incident happened on Friday, October 9, at approximately 6:30 p.m. inside a commercial establishment at 2402 Knapp Street, within the confines of the 61st Precinct. Police say the unidentified individual went behind the counter, opened the safe, and removed the cash before the confrontation with the employee unfolded.
Per the same post, the employee attempted to stop the individual, and the two were involved in a physical altercation. The suspect then fled the scene on a moped, traveling northbound on Knapp Street, police said. It remains unclear whether anyone was injured in the scuffle, and the NYPD post does not identify the suspect's appearance, clothing, or what happened after they left the block.
Reward on the Table as NYPD Seeks Tips
NYPD Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $3,500 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's confidential hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or submit tips in Spanish through 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or through the department's X account, @nypdtips — all channels remain anonymous.
The exact identity of the business targeted has not been confirmed. Property records reviewed by PropertyShark classify the Knapp Street address as a gas station with or without a small kiosk, while a separate Postmates listing shows a Tim Hortons operating at that same street number. Neither listing establishes which business, if either, was the site of the robbery.
Part of a Broader Moped Crime Pattern?
Moped-riding suspects have been a recurring headache for NYPD precincts across Brooklyn and Queens this year. According to ABC7NY, investigators were searching for two suspects believed to be part of a ring that targeted 29 people in chain-snatching robberies between June 15 and July 10, with seven incidents resulting in arrests and 22 still unsolved as of that report. Anthony Trona, a 68-year-old man, described a moped-based chain-snatching at 35th Street and Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, recalling that the suspects paused, one muttered an apology, and then yanked the chain off his neck before speeding away.
There is no evidence tying the Knapp Street safe robbery to those chain-snatching cases, and investigators have not announced any connection between the two patterns.
For now, the Knapp Street robbery remains an open investigation, with NYPD Crime Stoppers relying on the public for leads. No arrest has been announced, and the suspect's identity remains unknown.
