NYC robbers busted in wild Upper East Side car chase after one leaves behind debit card with his name on it
Armed robbers, take note: If you don’t want to get caught, don’t leave behind an ATM card with your name on it.
A pair of crooks who swiped $9,000 in cash after a wild Upper East Side caught-on-video car chase were nabbed with help from a debit card one of the men left behind in the stolen Mercedes Benz they used in the Sept. 3 crime, says a complaint in Manhattan Criminal Court.
Denis Piters, 29, of the Bronx was arrested Wednesday, and charged with robbery, criminal use of a firearm, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of stolen property.
A 19th Precinct detective said in the criminal complaint that he recovered a cash app card that bore Piters’ name from inside the Mercedes.
Piters has been unable to make $250,000 cash bail, and as of late Saturday remained at Rikers Island awaiting his next court hearing.
Piters’ alleged accomplice, fellow Bronx resident Cristian Santana, 32, was arrested Sept. 21. He was released on a $75,000 bond, court records say.
Piters and Santana are accused of using the Mercedes to chase a man driving a Toyota RAV4 through the Upper East Side in an attempt to rob him of cash.
The caught-on-video chase included a stint of wrong-way driving on Second Ave. near E. 91st St. Piters and Santana slammed the stolen Mercedes into the Toyota on Second Ave. near E. 92nd St., police and witnesses said.
One of the suspects got out of the Mercedes and banged a pistol on the victim’s windshield, before swiping a bag of $9,000 cash from the victim’s car. Police said the suspects targeted the victim because they knew he was likely to have a large sum of cash.
The scene was about two and a half long blocks from Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s residence.
The robbers sped off, and police found their car a few blocks away — with the ATM card and other evidence, including fingerprints, the complaint says.
