Brazen thieves use stun gun to rob man of $560,000 worth of jewelry
The victim, a 39-year-old man, was walking near 73rd Avenue and 180th Street in Fresh Meadows, Queens when he was approached by a masked man wearing a distinctive orange and yellow reflective vest.
The suspect used a stun gun to shock the man and then knocked him to the ground.
A second man, also wearing a reflective vest, then 'joined in to forcefully remove the victim's jewelry,' which was valued at $559,000, Gothamist reports.
The two robbers then fled the scene in a silver Mercedes-Benz SUV driven by a third person.
The NYPD stated the investigation is ongoing and has released descriptions of the two suspects.
The first man was described as wearing an orange-and-yellow-striped reflective vest, a bucket hat, brown pants, black shoes, a white mask, and black gloves.
The second was described as wearing a yellow-striped reflective vest, a black hat, black pants, black shoes, and black gloves.
Police did not comment on whether they believe the robbery was targeted or part of a larger pattern of similar crimes.
The Queens robbery shares similarities with an attempted smash-and-grab heist that occurred in Midtown Manhattan this past May, according to NBC 4 New York.
In that incident, two men disguised as construction workers entered a jewelry store on East 53rd Street and Madison Avenue.
Surveillance video showed one man holding the door while the other, wearing a yellow construction vest, used a hammer to try and smash a display case containing high-end watches.
A security guard quickly intervened, however, forcing the would-be robbers to flee empty-handed.
No one was injured in the attempted robbery.
Both the NYPD's Major Case Squad and local precincts are currently investigating these incidents.
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