No child’s play: 11-year-old boy arrested in NYC subway robbery tied to Central Park muggings

An 11-year-old Venezuelan boy has been arrested as the primary “aggressor” in a violent subway robbery and is connected to a series of similar crimes in Central Park involving migrant youths, according to police reports from Wednesday.

The young suspect, along with a 17-year-old accomplice, was detained shortly after allegedly assaulting a commuter on a Manhattan-bound 7 train near the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue stop in Queens around 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, according to the New York Post.

The victim, a 24-year-old man, reported that the younger boy aggressively stole his phone while the victim was attacked from behind.

The stolen phone was recovered from the suspects when they were arrested near the Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter in Midtown Manhattan around 10:15 p.m., law enforcement sources said. The victim described the 11-year-old as the “primary aggressor,” noting that he was the one who initially provoked the attack.

Police have linked the boy to a broader pattern of robberies in Central Park, involving a group of up to 12 migrant youths. Surveillance footage reportedly shows him using credit cards stolen from earlier robberies. NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell confirmed that these incidents are part of a pattern connected to a migrant robbery network.

Authorities suspect the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua may be involved, with lower-level members recruiting young migrants for these crimes. The Central Park muggings date back to late June, with the most recent occurring on the same night as the subway robbery.

The 11-year-old was released to a guardian after being issued a juvenile report, while the 17-year-old was also detained under similar circumstances. Police have criticized the lack of a cohesive plan for integrating immigrants, pointing to incidents like this as evidence of broader systemic failures.

The subway robbery and its aftermath highlight ongoing concerns about the integration of migrant youths and the effectiveness of city efforts to address related crime.