The ruthless mugger who allegedly beat a food vendor with a metal pipe and stole $3,500 from his Hell’s Kitchen cart was busted Thursday and charged with two felonies, cops said.
Jeffrey Vargas, 45, was nabbed around noon and charged with robbery and assault, both in the second degree, in connection to the 10:30 p.m. Tuesday attack on a 36-year-old cart operator at West 49th Street and Eighth Avenue, police said.
The vicious beating left the worker with some broken teeth, cops said.
Vargas allegedly bashed the worker in the face and body with “multiple objects,” including the pipe, according to cops and sources.
He then snatched $3,500 from the badly battered worker and bolted into the 50th Street subway station nearby, police said.
The victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, authorities said.
A coworker said Wednesday that the victim had only worked at the cart for three or four months and likely had to undergo surgery.
A hot dog cart worker located about a block away from the scene of the beating said he typically closes up shop around 8 or 9 p.m. each night because of safety concerns.
“I don’t open late at night anymore because it’s not safe,” he said. “You don’t know who is trying to hurt you or rob you.”
Vargas’ bust came a day after the NYPD released footage of him inside the 50th Street station, staring directly at the surveillance cameras.
He has one prior arrest from 2019 for disorderly conduct, sources said.
Additional reporting by Joe Marino