Police hunting for gun toting Goat Island robbers

New York State Park Police have increased patrols and have moved shifts to better cover Goat Island after a string of robberies.

Two of the robberies took place on Tuesday night.

The first one happened at about 6:30pm. Police say three people were robbed by three suspects on Three Sister’s Island. The suspects, described only as black males, displayed a gun and stole cash and cell phones from the victims.

Then at 11:30pm, three victims were robbed by eight suspects on Green Island. Some of the suspects rushed the victims while the other suspects approached the victims from behind, pointing a gun at them. Two of the victims fought back and suffered some minor scratches. The suspects made off with cash and cell phones.

NYS Parks Police are working with Niagara Falls Police to identify suspects. There have been five robberies in the park since Memorial Day.

Tourists, like Cheryl Schultz, say hearing this is unsettling.

"We don't know the area, so we try to stay to the mainly traveled areas," she said. "You have to keep close tabs on where you're walking. We have our grandson with us and have to keep close tabs on him."

Others, like Gary Fickhesen, say this type of crime may hurt tourism.

"If you're reading about this kind of thing, I think it's going to scare some people away," he said. "The tourism rate is pretty low on this side. I don't think they really need anything negative."