Police are searching for a pistol-wielding robbery crew after a late-night break-in at a high-end Manhattan cocktail bar left two workers bound inside separate bathrooms and cost the business nearly $30,000 in cash, liquor and equipment.
The robbery unfolded around 4 a.m. on July 13 at Obvio Cocktail Bar on East 28th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues in Nomad, according to the NYPD. Investigators say three masked suspects entered the venue and quickly took control of the scene. One of the men was carrying a black pistol with an extended magazine, police said, underscoring how dangerous the encounter became for the staff members on duty.
Authorities said the robbers forced two male workers, ages 38 and 43, into separate bathrooms inside the lounge. The employees were then bound with electrical cords and tape, leaving them unable to call for help or intervene as the suspects moved through the business. The workers suffered redness to their wrists but refused medical attention at the scene, police said.
During the robbery, the group seized a safe containing $7,000, along with DJ equipment valued at $13,000 and another $7,000 worth of bottles of liquor. The losses point to the range of valuables that can be kept at a nightlife venue after hours, from cash on hand to gear used for music and entertainment to the alcohol inventory that helps fuel sales. For a cocktail bar built around an upscale late-night experience, the theft represented both a financial hit and a disruption to operations.
Police released images on Monday showing one of the suspects washing a gray 1993 Ford E-350 Econoline van that investigators say was used in the robbery. Authorities have since recovered the vehicle, a step that may help detectives piece together the suspects’ movements before and after the crime. The three robbers remain unidentified, and the investigation is ongoing.
