Cops suspect this man has been on a pick-pocketing spree across Lower Manhattan.
BY COLIN MIXSON
Cops are looking for a man suspected of picking pockets across Lower Manhattan, and then treating himself to an illicit spending spree of more than $11,300 on stolen credit cards since Aug. 7.
The police first spotted the suspect on the security feed at the Herald Square Macy’s at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 7, where he spent $1,941 using a card he stole from a victim’s purse inside a Ninth Ave. diner near W. 16th St.
Investigators next caught sight of the suspect via surveillance footage outside a Jersey City Target, where he used a credit card reported stolen from a Stone St. eatery near Mill Ln. on Aug. 8. The alleged crook had dipped into a diner’s purse as she supped at around 7:30 p.m., police said, before heading to the big box retailer and dropping $508 on the victim’s card.
Another victim said he was inside a restaurant on King St. near W. Houston St. at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 24, when he realized his wallet had been pinched, and detectives later recovered footage of the same suspect buying laptops in a Prince Street Apple store with that victim’s card, cops said.
The final theft believed to be connected occurred inside an uptown bar on Park Ave. near E. 45th St. at 1:15 p.m. on Sept. 21, where the alleged thief nabbed another man’s wallet, before heading to a Fifth Ave. electronics store to buy two laptops worth $5,443, then heading to another Fifth Ave. store and buying a Macbook Pro worth $3,482 with the victim’s card, according to police.
The suspect is between the ages of 30 and 40 years old, and stands at about six-feet tall, cops said.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577–8477. The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All tips are strictly confidential.
