Surveillance video captured the man Tuesday evening shortly after the robbery.
Police say he and another man used a knife to steal a tip jar and a cell phone from a rental stand next to the Boathouse restaurant around 6 p.m.
Workers gave chase and tried to catch the thieves, but lost track of them at 5th Avenue and 72nd Street.
Nobody was injured in the robbery.
The booth rents row boats for use on Central Park's lake.
The suspects are described as black men between the ages of 15 and 20. One was 5-foot-7, wearing a turquoise T-shirt and dark jeans. The second was about 6-feet tall wearing a black shirt, black pants and a black do-rag.
Anyone with information in regards to this robbery is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.
