Police have said that a duo of “shady” teenagers have disgustingly looted an eight-year-old boy’s lemonade stand in Upper West Side, New York. The teens opportunistically waited until Julian Lin had turned his back on Sunday (June 4) to steal his money jar, which according to his mum contained as much as $150, before fleeing on two scooters, police and a local report have said.
The young man told the ilovetheupperwestside.com blog: “I feel disappointed in humanity.
“I didn’t realise that someone would want to rob an eight-year-old.”
The theft took place on Columbus Avenue near West 70th Street at around 3.20pm, when the two teens asked for some lemonade, police said.
When the young entrepreneur turned his back the heartless duo grabbed the jar and fled as the boy was left empty handed.
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Police have said the teens are still on the loose.
Venmo had been used as the payment type by some of his customers, so the theft didn’t cause a complete loss – and neighbours of Julian also tried to make up for the stolen earnings, the New York Post reports.
He told the blog in an article published on Wednesday (June 7): “When I lost all that cash a lot of people wanted to help me recover, so they gave me extra big tips.”
The boy added: “It made me feel good that so many people wanted to help me recover from this attack.
“It made me feel happy, joyful, grateful.”
The young man, whose “professional” mantra is ‘Julian Business Man’ and dons bowties and neckties when working, has been working in a plethora of jobs since he was just four years old, varying from folding boxes at a local bakery to mopping classroom floors to assisting a neighbourhood fruit stand.
He told the blog in April: “I just love working.
“I love everything about it.”
Anyone with information about the thieves can call the NYPD tips hotline at 800-577-TIPS or get in touch with the department @NYPDTips.
