A rash of violent muggings is terrifying residents of the Upper West Side near Central Park.
Cops last night released photos of two thugs suspected of carrying out eight robberies – two in the park and six in the streets nearby – since Oct. 10. In all the vicious attacks, the muggers approached their victims from behind and punched them or threatened them with a knife.
They fled on foot with cash, cellphones or both.
Excluding the muggings in the park, four occurred on West 105th Street and two on West 108th Street.
Cops said no one was seriously injured. News of the attacks spread fear on the Upper West Side.
“I’m freaked out that this is going on,” said Rachel Reynolds, 22, as she walked her dog on Central Park West at 105th Street.
“But I have seen a lot of cops, and one warned me about teenagers snatching pocket books. They didn’t say anything about . . . knives, though.”
Said Rena Haddad, 26, who is staying with a friend on West 105th Street near Columbus Avenue, “I’m not surprised to hear this. I don’t feel safe in this neighborhood.
“At night, I take taxis home . . . until they capture these muggers, it will have to be a necessary expense.”
“I’m worried,” said Cindy Ramos, 45, who lives on West 101st Street. “I will not walk by myself near the park after dark. It makes me sick to hear this. It seems foreboding – like this will be another downturn in New York.”
In November, The Post reported that holdups in Central Park had risen nearly 40 percent since last year.