News writer
A string of robberies has left police on the hunt for suspects who managed to swipe nearly $7,000 worth of lottery tickets from stores across New York City. The crimes, which took place in two separate incidents just days apart, have raised eyebrows as the thieves brazenly simulated firearms and walked off with stacks of New York Lottery scratch-offs.
The NYPD is on the lookout for these suspects and has now released images and video showing them jumping a subway turnstile with what appears to be a case of stolen tickets.
Two separate incidents
Around 8:30 p.m. ET on December 26, 2024, the first robbery took place at a business on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, according to the NYPD.
During that incident, police said two individuals entered the store, simulated a firearm, and then removed around $2,100 worth of lottery tickets. They then fled the scene on foot, officials said.
On the evening of January 8, 2025, the second robbery took place at a store on Broadway in Astoria.
During that incident, police said the two suspects entered the Queens business, displayed a gun, and then proceeded to take about $4,800 worth of lottery tickets. They then fled the scene on foot, officials said.
Suspects caught on surveillance cameras
While the suspects fled the scene of both robberies, police said the suspects entered a Broadway subway station after the second robbery. Images and video happened to catch the suspects jumping the subway turnstile while they appeared to be holding a case full of scratch-offs and other lottery tickets.
Police said there were no injuries reported during either robbery, and the suspects are described to be men with a medium complexion.
If you happen to have any information about these robberies, you are asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
No robbery was needed here
While these two suspects were allegedly stealing lottery tickets in an attempt to win a big prize, two Powerball players in the state were buying their tickets legitimately and winning big money!
Over the weekend, two Powerball players won big prizes on the Saturday, January 11, drawing with tickets purchased in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The winning white ball numbers for that drawing were 3, 6, 32, 37, and 65, and the Powerball number was 4 with a Power Play of 3X.
The Brooklyn player matched four of the white ball numbers and the Powerball to win the $50,000 prize. They purchased the winning ticket at J W W Mini Store Inc., located at 5221 7th Ave. in Brooklyn.
Meanwhile, the lucky Manhattan player also matched four of the white ball numbers and the Powerball, but they also included the Power Play option on their ticket. That means their $50,000 winnings were tripled to win $150,000 total. They bought the winning ticket at Uptown Service Station Corp., located at 2326 First Ave. in Manhattan.
No tickets matched all of the winning numbers on Saturday, so the Powerball jackpot grew to an estimated $285 million for the Monday, January 13, drawing.
Enjoy playing the New York Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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