A Venezuelan prison gang has been recruiting teens and children to carry out crimes in Times Square, and their young age is enabling them to avoid consequences.
Los Diablos de la 42, which translates to “Little Devils of 42nd Street” is a group of about 20 young gang members selected and trained by the prison gang Tren de Aragua.
Despite their youth, they have committed serious crimes with offenses escalating into gunpoint robberies, and “wolfpack robberies” which is when five or more suspects surround tourists and shake them down for their belongings.
Zoë Parrish, a self-employed 20-year-old who frequents the Square for Broadway shows, said this tension affects her time there and any tourists.
“I feel unsafe there,” Parrish said in an interview for The Ticker. “It’s honestly more concerning for tourists who are wandering aimlessly and are ‘naïve’ enough to talk to anyone who approaches them, or accidentally gets in the way of an incident if they aren’t hyper aware of this situation,” Parrish said.
Some of these incidents have led to victims being hospitalized.
Since the gang members are so young, with some as young as 11 years old, and NYC’s criminal justice laws, none of the gangsters ever remain in jail.
Their heists began in Central Park during the summer with snatch-and-grab robberies before raising the stakes and moving to a heavily saturated part of the city using knives and guns.
Their boldness on social media showing them flaunting their firearms and calling out rival gangs such as the Latin Kings, is causing major unease among the police.
Cops believe attempts at public displays of power are a means by the migrant crew to become more established in the area.
The police are also concerned that these taunts could lead to a violent gang war in Times Square between Tren de Aragua and the Latin Kings.
According to authorities, the tension between the two gangs originated years ago when the Latin Kings allegedly murdered a member of Tren de Aragua.
Police are utilizing drones and officers to find and apprehend suspects, but some believe that real change lies in the hands of judges and criminal reform.
Los Diablos have been busted for 50 individual incidents, yet not a single one of them have been arrested or remained in jail.
The bounds of their activities have begun to broaden with some of their gang-related crimes now happening as far as Main Street in Queens.
The teens are mostly based out of city-funded Manhattan shelters such as the Roosevelt Hotel and use the gang to stay out of custody.
As part of their initiation, Los Diablos must also complete dares to commit crimes, and if they do not, they are forced to lick a subway floor.
