Federal authorities in New York announced the arrest of a robbery suspect, over a year after the crime, thanks to a unique clue: a pair of multicolored briefs. The arrest, stemming from a 2022 robbery at a tobacco shop in Queens, was made possible by surveillance footage and an anonymous tip.
On September 14, 2022, three masked men, arriving in a Mazda, robbed the store. Two brandished guns at employees and customers, while the third emptied the cash register, taking merchandise and the employees’ cellphones. They escaped in the same vehicle.
The pivotal clue came from surveillance videos released through the media. They showed the third robber’s brightly colored briefs, marked with a large white ‘R’ and ‘1990’ in yellow. An anonymous tipster, having seen the footage, provided the suspect’s Instagram handle to the police. Additionally, the tipster reported that the robbers had attempted to sell the stolen goods at another Queens location.
Detectives, reviewing footage from the second location, recognized the man with the distinct underwear, now unmasked. Police used his Instagram account, video evidence, and photos from previous arrests to identify the 30-year-old suspect.
He was apprehended Wednesday morning at his Queens residence by a joint task force from the New York Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The suspect is awaiting arraignment in federal court in Brooklyn, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office.
The suspect’s attorney from the federal public defender’s office has been contacted for comment. Meanwhile, the other two suspects involved in the robbery remain at large, according to authorities.
