An 18-year-old man is accused of orchestrating a predatory armed robbery by luring a victim to Kenwood through a gay dating app and then using a gun, a bat and threats of violence to steal his phone, smartwatch and digital access to his bank accounts, prosecutors said.
Jroy Ramey, 18, is charged with armed robbery in connection with the July 19 attack in the 4800 block of South Drexel Boulevard, but he is suspected of committing similar crimes in the city and suburbs, according to court records. Chicago police had warned residents in July about three similar robberies on the same block, but Ramey faces charges in only one of the incidents.
The victim, a 30-year-old man from Cicero, told investigators he was chatting with someone on the dating app Sniffies around 1 a.m. while simultaneously working as an Uber driver, prosecutors said in an arrest filing. The conversation led him to Drexel Boulevard near 49th Street, where he parked in an alley, believing he was meeting the person from the app.
Upon arrival, a man approached his vehicle and led him to a more secluded area. Prosecutors said Ramey then came out from behind a door holding a silver object resembling a baseball bat and ordered the victim to lie on the ground and hand over his phone. When the victim refused to provide the phone password, Ramey allegedly instructed the other perpetrator to shoot the victim in the leg if he did not comply.
According to charging documents, the second suspect pressed a gun against the back of the victim’s left leg and then against his back while the victim lay on the ground. The robbers then held the phone to the man’s face to unlock it with facial recognition. After noticing that the victim was wearing an Apple Watch, Ramey allegedly took it with him as well. The two robbers, with Ramey’s accomplice pointing the gun at the victim and ordering him to keep his head down.
The victim drove away and headed towards the nearest police station. Along the way he came across a patrol car, stopped and reported the robbery.
After receiving a replacement iPhone, the victim discovered that someone had accessed his bank account and made at least ten unauthorized debit card purchases totaling $1,856 on July 21. Prosecutors said the account was linked to the stolen phone. Orders were also placed through the victim’s Uber Eats account, including at least one delivery sent to Ramey’s home address, the arrest filing said.
On July 24, Maywood police executed a search warrant at Ramey’s home in connection with an unrelated juvenile investigation involving similar allegations. According to prosecutors, officers recovered a loaded Glock pistol with a 30-round ammunition magazine attached from behind a headboard. Police also found driver’s licenses, identification cards and credit cards of people who did not live in the home. An examination of Ramey’s phone allegedly revealed that he was at the Drexel Boulevard robbery location at the time of the crime.
Ramey recently turned himself in to face charges in this case and for a separate armed robbery that occurred on February 5, 2025, when he was a juvenile. Prosecutors said the victim of the July robbery identified Ramey in a photo lineup.
Judge Shauna Boliker arrested Ramey.
