Police say the man wanted for a string of strong-armed robberies of Asians in East Harlem is an ex-con with three dozen arrests on his record.
Cops are hunting Jason Commisso, 34, for eight attacks between Jan. 17 and 26.
The string began with the assault of a 44-year-old woman in an elevator, police said, and continued through a beating of a 57-year-old man inside an elevator in an E. 97th St. building Saturday morning.
On Friday, the NYPD declared the case a pattern after Commisso allegedly beat up his seventh victim, a 27-year-old woman, for her iPhone.
Police officials said the pattern includes these incidents:
— On Jan. 19, Commisso hit a 46-year-old woman and stole her purse, cops said.
— On Jan. 21, he followed a 64-year-old man into an elevator, punched him repeatedly, and stole his wallet.
— On Jan. 23, Commisso again punched a 46-year-old man and a 62-year-old man in different elevators, stealing the men’s wallets.
— On Jan. 24, he punched a 47-year-old woman in an elevator and stole her purse.
— On Jan. 24, he followed a 27-year-old into an elevator of her apartment building, assaulted her, took her purse and iPhone and fled.
Four of the victims are men. The other four are women. All are Asians.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the Hate Crime Task Force was involved in the investigation. It was not yet clear, however, if the suspect was motivated by bias.
Commisso is 6-feet-1 and weighs 200 pounds, police said. He has brown hair and hazel eyes and is believed to live in East Harlem.
A police source said the suspect has 36 prior arrests, 17 of them sealed. The others include arson, assault, robbery and drugs.
According to state records, Commisso served time in prison for selling drugs and for attempted robbery. He was conditionally released both times, once in 2002 and then in 2007.
