Jersey man busted in Elmhurst armed robbery as cops continue search for accomplice who made off with $2K: NYPD

Police from the 110th Precinct arrested Shamell Rijfrogel, 38, of Irvington, the following day but are still searching for his accomplice who assaulted the victim. Rijfrogel was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Aug. 23, on a criminal complaint charging him with robbery in the first degree — an armed felony offense — and two counts of robbery in the second degree.

The 38-year-old victim was walking in front of 40-09 81st St. at 3:50 a.m. when he was confronted by Rijfrogel and the unapprehended man in a blue sweater and blue plaid shorts who approached the victim and said, “Give us everything you have on,” according to the criminal complaint. Rijfrogel pointed what appeared to be a firearm at the victim and held him against a parked vehicle as his accomplice forcibly removed the man’s fanny pack, which contained approximately $2,000 in U.S. currency and his passport.

The victim later told a detective from the 110th Precinct that he saw what appeared to be the butt of a handgun in the unapprehended man’s waistband. When Rijfrogel and his associate fled with the stolen fanny pack towards Roosevelt Avenue on the corner, the victim tried to get his fanny pack back, the accomplice struck him in the face with a closed fist causing immediate swelling and substantial pain, according to the criminal complaint.

Rijfrogel was arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge Jennifer Saint-Preux who set bail at $5,000 cash and $10,000 bond.

The NYPD released surveillance images of the other suspect and described him as having a light complexion with black hair and a thin mustache and chin beard. He was last seen wearing a blue sweater over a white t-shirt, blue plaid shorts, a black baseball cap and black-rimmed eyeglasses.

A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to his arrest and indictment.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are strictly confidential.

Through Sept. 13, the 110th Precinct has reported 488 felony assaults so far in 2026, 74 more than the 414 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 17.9%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Robberies are also on the rise in the precinct with 304 reported so far this year, 20 more than the 284 reported at the same point in 2025, an increase of 7%, according to CompStat.