Maspeth is often fondly referred to as a small town in a big city setting, where many of the residents know each other by name, so it's a shock when a crime occurs that threatens to destabilize the community.

At about 1:55 p.m. on June 30, a woman was robbed at gunpoint while sitting in her car near the Stop & Shop on 74th Street and 53rd Road. She was approached by a gun-wielding man, who demanded her purse and fled in what may have been a gray Chevy Impala with tinted windows and partial plate numbers “ED.”

The suspect was wearing a gray sweat suit and is described as a stocky, bald white male with blue eyes, weighing about 160 pounds with a tattoo on his neck.

Roe Daraio, president of civic group Citizens of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (C.O.M.E.T.), warned that side streets in the area are an ideal spot for robbers looking for victims. She advised that pedestrians walking on the streets near Stop & Shop or shoppers that choose to park on the street instead of the supermarket's parking lot make an effort not to carry a pocketbook or anything that might make them targets.

“If you see something suspicious, report it to the 104th Precinct Squad,” said Daraio. “Maspeth is our backyard and people in the community need to keep their eyes open.”