Grindr date ends with man being violently held at gunpoint and robbed in hotel
The man was assaulted by his Grindr date at Sheraton’s Four Points Hotel in Manhattan (Google Maps)
A Grindr date ended in a robbery at gunpoint, with the assailant making off with $1,000 in cash, a cellphone and a tablet.
The 33-year-old victim connected with his date on the app, and they arranged to meet in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday (May 5).
The pair entered the Sheraton’s Four Points Hotel on 10th Avenue at West 35th Street just before 8.30pm, according to police. But as soon as they reached the hotel room the evening took a turn as the date pulled out a gun on the man.
The attacker pistol-whipped the man, forced him to lay face-down on the bed and made off with the cash, a cellphone and tablet.
The victim was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital and treated for a cut to his head. The New York Post contacted the manager of the hotel for comment but did not receive a response.
Grindr is often used to lure gay men into dangerous scenarios.
Unfortunately, this is far from the first time that Grindr has been used in connection with violent crimes.
Just last month, a man was assaulted in his own apartment by a Grindr date he’d met a few weeks beforehand.
Joined by an accomplice, the assailant burst into the man’s house in the middle of the night armed with a pistol topped with a laser scope.
The intruders tied the man up, put a bag over his head, punched and threatened to kill him before ransacking the house. They made off with several pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage, a MacBook, cellphones, and $12,500 in cash.
Fortunately the victim survived the attack, but in other cases men have not been so lucky.
Kevin Bacon, 25, was killed after meeting a man from Grindr (Getty)
On Christmas Eve last year, 25-year-old Kevin Bacon was murdered and mutilated in Michigan by a man he had met on Grindr.
And in July, a Detroit man was charged with murder after allegedly using Grindr to track down gay people to shoot dead – killing one man and critically injuring another.
London-based serial killer Stephen Port was jailed for life in 2016 after killing four men, many of whom he lured to Grindr hook-ups before fatally drugging them.
Grindr recommends meeting all hookups in a busy, public space and telling a friend about your plans ahead of time.
It is also advisable to get to know your date as much as possible beforehand, and to not bring any valuables with you on your first meeting, carrying only your phone and essential cards if possible. Do not be ashamed to report any threats or attacks to law enforcement.
