Councilman David G. Greenfield today applauded the efforts of the NYPD and an online commenter for their efforts to identify the man suspected of violently robbing a 56-year-old woman at the 18th Avenue F train station on McDonald Avenue in Boro Park last month. The NYPD today announced the arrest of 21-year-old Aidan Folan of Bay Ridge, who has been charged with second-degree assault and second-degree robbery for heinously attacking the victim at about 2:40 a.m. on March 9th. Surveillance video at the station captured the attack and provided clear images of the distinctive hooded sweatshirt the suspect was wearing at the time. After the video was released to the public, a major break in the case apparently occurred when a commenter on the website Gawker provided a link to a Facebook page containing photos of Folan in the same sweatshirt that the suspect was wearing during the robbery.

In response, Greenfield is thanking the officers involved for taking this incident seriously and working hard to track down the person believed to be responsible, and the Gawker commenter who made the connection between Folan’s Facebook page and the individual in the surveillance footage.

“I was disturbed to learn that a horrific robbery like this occurred in my district, so I am grateful in knowing that this suspect has been arrested. This is another reminder of the hard work each day by the NYPD to keep us safe, as well as the role that social media and crowdsourcing can play in identifying criminals and holding them accountable for their actions. My thanks to everyone who played a role in making this arrest, from the individual who first connected Folan to the video footage using his Facebook page, to the officers who tracked this suspect down. This shows once again that all New Yorkers have a role in keeping our city safe for everyone,” said Councilman Greenfield.

(YWN Desk – NYC)