Police have identified the man they suspect of a series of home invasion robberies targeting elderly women in Brooklyn and Queens. The NYPD says that Clarence Jones, 64, is behind five stick-ups and attacks that have victimized eight people, most of them female seniors.
The robberies date back to January 20th, and took place in Ridgewood, Queens, and Park Slope and Prospect Heights in Brooklyn.
In one typical instance, Jones allegedly followed a 91-year-old woman to her Park Slope brownstone on the afternoon of March 2nd, choked her, flashed a gun, and pushed her into the foyer, demanding cash. The victim, Elizabeth Gioino, told CBS2, "I said, 'Please leave me alone! I’m a sick woman! I’m old enough! Leave me alone!'"
Around that time, cops say a 50-year-old man encountered the pair, and the robber pointed his gun at him and took his money, too, making off with $370 altogether.
The attacks have variously involved beatings with a blunt object, and threats with a gun and a box cutter. In one, Jones allegedly tried to tie up a 71-year-old woman in her Park Slope home.
Police describe Jones as standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 202 pounds, with gray hair.
Police ask people with information about the crimes to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-8477, or for Spanish, (888) 577-4782. People can also submit tips at the Crime Stoppers website or by texting tips to 274637.
