Three masked brutes — one armed with a gun — ambushed two Bronx bodega employees, ripping off more than $4,000 and pricey jewelry during a terrifying caught-on-video heist this week.
Footage obtained by The Post shows the masked trio stepping inside El Sitio Deli Grocery in Crotona Park East around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday — while the employees were cleaning up before closing time.
One of the ruffians grabbed the hand of employee Jeffrey Brito — who was working behind the counter – while the second pointed a gun and the third stood by.
“He pointed the gun at me and told me [to] give him all the money and don’t do anything,” said Brito, who recalled that the crooks spoke in Spanish.
“They took my chain and earring and $400 out of my pocket,” he added, noting that his jewelry was worth $1,400.
The two unarmed goons then went behind the counter, soon to be joined by their gun-toting counterpart, according to the clip.
Brito appeared to escape into an area behind the counter, before the store owner, Miguel Arias, emerged with his arms raised as the culprits rifled through the register, removing $3,700 in cash and bagging it up.
“I thought they were going to kill us. I was afraid for my life,” the owner said.
“The one with the gun looked nervous, so I thought the gun was going to go off.”
The terrified workers didn’t try to fight off the suspects, which may have saved them, Arias said.
“I think if we resisted they would have shot us,” he added.
The trio then took off running and hadn’t been caught by Thursday.
“It’s only the first week,” Bodega Association President Francisco Marte said.
“I hope the NYPD continues to work with our community to keep us safe, especially bodegas and small businesses because we are always the target.”
The NYPD says one of the suspects was last seen wearing a black jacket, gray sweatshirt, black ski mask, black pants, and black sneakers.
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The second wore a green jacket, gray sweatshirt, light colored pants, and black boots, while the third was spotted in a black jacket, black sweatshirt, black ski mask, black pants and black sneakers.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.
