A 57-year-old woman was robbed of her bag inside an Upper West Side subway station in a broad-daylight mugging after a stranger put a gun to her head, demanding her property, police said Thursday.
“This is real,” the armed mugger seethed as he pressed the gun to the woman’s head at the 86th St. subway stop for B and C trains at Central Park West on Wednesday.
Police released surveillance photos of the suspect in the hopes someone would recognize him.
The victim was in the station’s mezzanine, about to enter a turnstile around 11:15 a.m. when the gunman crept up behind her.
After threatening to shoot her, he snatched the woman’s bag, which contained an Apple watch, her iPhone, wallet, credit cards and personal checks.
He then fled the station and was caught on surveillance camera riding a maroon bike away from the scene.
He was last seen rolling down W. 88th St., cops said.
The victim was rattled by the experience, but otherwise not injured cops said.
Gunpoint robberies are exceedingly rare in the city’s subway system. As of Sunday, robberies on the rails were down by 10%, from 347 at this time last year to 310 so far this year.
The daring mugger in Wednesday’s robbery is described as dark skinned, about 5-foot-9 and was last seen wearing a gray hat, dark coat, blue jeans and gray sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding the suspect’s whereabouts is urged to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
Originally Published: October 16, 2025 at 1:35 PM EDT
