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The NYPD released surveillance images this weekend of a man with an Air Jordan tattoo on his neck whom they identified as the ringleader.
He and his stickup artist pals use online marketplaces to arrange the meetings, then rob the unsuspecting sellers, city police said.
There's been intense demand and not enough supply of the popular Sony console since its release nearly 18 months ago. Scalpers reportedly have been selling them online for more than $500 each.
The armed bandits aren't taking only PS5s, however. The NYPD has reported gunpoint robberies tied to the trio of jewelry, camera equipment and thousands of dollars in cash.
Altogether, they're believed responsible for at least a half-dozen robberies in the city -- and probably more -- over the past six weeks or so.
It began with the gunpoint holdup of a Bronx man for a $1,050 graphics card, the NYPD said. Hours later, one of the bandits brandished a gun while another snatched a PlayStation from another man in Queens, authorities.
Imitation handguns were used in two other robberies earlier this month -- of a 19-year-old man in Harlem and a 36-year-old victim in the Bronx, the NYPD said.
Then came a similar incident in which a would-be seller was robbed of a PS 5 on Executive Boulevard near the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee on April 10.
Although a black BMW was identified as the main vehicle sought, police said a Honda similar to one that was used in the Gotham robberies served as a trail car.
The victim followed the vehicles west on Route 4 before apparently losing sight of them.
Anyone who might have witnessed the robbery or has information that could help identify those involved is asked to call Fort Lee police at (201) 592-3700 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.
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