Man robbed at knifepoint after he was duped on dating site: cops
Two teens are being sought after a man who thought he was answering a personal ad got robbed at knifepoint at a Connecticut home, police said.
Police in New Haven said the two unidentified teens — believed to be about 19 and 16 years old — targeted a 35-year-old victim from Wallingford at a residence on Hotchkiss Street at about 7 p.m. Saturday. The man had earlier set up a date with a woman named “Kristen” on the dating website Plenty of Fish.
The man told police he was texting with the woman prior to showing up at the home, where he found the front door locked. He was then greeted by two men at the back door, one of whom had a knife and asked if he was there to see his sister before demanding his money.
Police said the man hopped a fence in an effort to flee, but quickly found himself cornered in a back yard. He struggled with the suspects until one of them put him in a headlock while the other teen started going through his pockets.
The suspects stole the man’s iPhone, keys and wallet, which held cash and several credit cards. He was then forced into his Chevrolet Silverado by the teens, who told the victim they were headed to an ATM.
The victim managed to escape by hopping out of the passenger door. He ran until he spotted a woman outside who let him use her phone to call for help, police said.
The two suspects fled on foot, dumping the man’s truck on Hotchkiss Street. Witnesses later confirmed the victim’s version of events to investigators, who did not locate a woman named Kristen at the address.
Police described one of the suspects as 19 years old, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, and last seen wearing a black T-shirt and khaki pants. The second suspect, believed to be about 16 years old, was wearing a blue sweatshirt, jeans and a blue hat, police said.
The victim, meanwhile, declined medical attention at the scene.
Officer David Hartman, a police spokesman, told The Post that investigators believe the date arranged on Plenty of Fish — used by more than 4 million people daily, according to its site — was “likely a ruse to get someone” to the address to commit a robbery. But it’s unclear whether the suspects posted the ad by themselves or actually worked in tandem with a woman named Kristen in the scheme, Hartman said.
“People need to be net savvy and understand that there are people who use legitimate sites to prey on people,” Hartman told The Post, adding that police typically see these types of crimes involving transactions on Craigslist.