The tip leading to the perp came early on and from the hostel, no? Though undoubtedly a busy, boisterous place, the masked pe#1 caught the attention of staff. Why? The bike. Always had gut feeling—from first radio report of ‘suspect seen running across alley and fleeing on e-bike towards CP’—that the bike was critical.
Not because, where is it now? (That, I believe, is the only unplanned aspect, the perp hoping it would be stolen and maybe lucky).
First, because of the time/effort to secure it for even one hour in the alley in pre-dawn darkness to ensure it was available to be unsecured in the heat of the moment without leaving trace (the Monopoly money surely mentioned but since the heavy object not a gun, the bike lock perhaps?)
Later, mistakenly reported perp rode F car sans bike, leading me to speculate an accomplice planted it.
Now—whether acting alone or as part of an emergent underground collective of hackers/killers/idealists—the bike figured in the dry runs prior to the crime.
At some point during his 10-day junket, the perp acquired the bike. Don’t feel the mystery man hung around the hostel much, instead surveying the field.
Leaving early am, returning late (why his reser was auto-cancelled) but nevertheless attracting attention from staff, grudgingly allowing entrance to whatever semi-secured area such machines are allowed.
Thus, when the first reports aired of ‘suspect fled on e-bike’ staff figured musta been that masked guy we’ve been accommodating, last @ 5:30 this morning.
From there, easy for investigators to roll back his 23:00 11/24 arrival at hostel to a point of entry earlier that evening, rather than over a period of several days.
And from PA42nd to eventual crime scene, to hostel, departure/arrival point for all ten days with—speculating—100 hours tracked on cctv?
Regardless, faceless to 10 million NewYorkers but triggering a response from the handful of hostel employees, the only ones interacting with him on a personal level.
