A 27-year-old man was carjacked by a trio of crooks, one wielding a machete, who forced him out of his parked car in downtown Manhattan and fled in the stolen vehicle, according to police.
The victim was sitting in his parked Honda CR-V in front of the Manhattan Seventh-Day Adventist Church on W. 11th St. near Waverly Pl. in the West Village when two men opened the unlocked driver’s-side door and forced him out of the vehicle just before 5 a.m. on Nov. 19. Just in case the car owner thought of putting up a fight, a third man then approached and waved a machete at him, cops said.
The man with the machete and another carjacker jumped into the compact SUV and sped away, traveling west on W. 11th St., leaving behind the third crook, who ran east, police said.
No injuries were reported.
On Wednesday police released images of the carjackers and asked for the public’s help in identifying them. Cops described all three suspects as males with light complexions.
The man with the machete was last seen wearing a gray jacket, ripped blue jeans and white sneakers. The guy who fled on foot was last seen wearing dark-colored clothing and blue-and-white Nike sneakers.
Honda CR-Vs, particularly older models, are popular targets for car thieves.
Despite the brazen machete carjacking, the West Village’s 6th Precinct is among the city’s safest.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.