Bedford Park merchants and vendors are on guard following two commercial robberies and a “noticed increase” in crime during the past month. The two robberies happened on Bedford Park Boulevard, near Jerome Avenue. (Police are looking for help identifying and locating the suspects from the second robbery, shown in the video above,, of Connie’s Laundromat, located at 39 East Bedford Park Blvd., on Jan. 22 at 6 p.m.)

At approximately 3 p.m., on Jan. 5, a robber, described by police as a Hispanic male, standing between 5-feet-5 and 5-feet-7, and weighing 150 pounds, brazenly entered the K & C Candy Store, located at 239 East Bedford Park Blvd., while the store was filled with customers.

According to the owner who declined to be identified, he walked up to the cash register and menacingly barked two words, “Open and money,” while gesturing as if he were armed.

“I was in shock and afraid to move, so he just reached over and grabbed all the money; he didn’t care that the store was full of people and children,” said the owner who has been a staple in the area for the past 21 years.

At approximately 6 p.m., on Jan. 22, after the last two customers had exited Connie’s Laundromat, located at 39 East Bedford Park Blvd., the perpetrator entered brandishing a firearm. He forcefully pushed the lone employee toward the back of the store, while rummaging through his pockets, for the keys to the cabinet where the money was kept. He was able to get away with approximately $300 dollars in quarters, and an undisclosed amount of bills.

Other businesses in the area say they have experienced harassment in one form or another, from rude and disruptive customers to employees being physically assaulted. In one instance an employee quit after being robbed and assaulted after leaving work.

“I noticed it’s a lot of the young kids in the neighborhood, who seem to be causing the most trouble,” said one employee of a local business, who asked not to be named.

Editor’s Note: Anyone with information in regards to this robbery is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.