Thief targets stroller
An unfortunate mother had to deal with yet another headache when her wallet was stolen after she dropped off her young child at a Tribeca nursery school on March 31, police said.
The woman, 37, told cops she was taking her kid into the N. Moore St. entrance of the Tribeca Community School — the main entrance is at 22 Ericsson Place — around 8:30 a.m., and left her wallet sitting in the empty stroller out on the sidewalk. When she came back outside five minutes to grab the stroller, she realized that the wallet — containing her credit card, but fortunately no cash — was gone.
There were no witnesses, police said.
Cell thief says let’s make a deal
How’s this for a deal? The guy who stole your cell phone says he’ll happily return it — as long as you pay him.
Police are now searching for the man they say tried to do just that after swiping an iPhone 5 that was mistakenly left inside a Financial District restaurant on March 31.
The rightful owner, a 24-year-old man, told cops that he left the phone — along with an accompanying case that also held his debit card — behind after eating dinner in the Chipotle at 100 Maiden Ln. around 7 p.m. When he realized later than night that it was gone, the forgetful man quickly cancelled the card and began tracking his phone using a security app.
He told cops he was able to track the missing phone to Bainbridge Ave. in the Bronx, after which he also learned that a quick charge had already been made to his debit card, at a McDonald’s also located in the Bronx.
The man said he then called his phone in hopes of locating it — and was surprisingly greeted by a man, identifying himself as Jay, who offered to sell the phone back to him. Jay reportedly went on to say that he would meet with him soon to make the deal, and provided his own personal cell number, which the phone’s rightful owner promptly turned over to the police in hopes of tracking the thief down.
Police said they were still investigating the matter as of April 1, using those details provided by the victim.
Ex-girlfriend beaten
Here’s a new candidate for “World’s Worst Ex-Boyfriend” — a guy who sends his ex’s nude selfie to all of her friends, and then attacks her after she tries to stop him.
That’s what happened early on April 6, during a post-relationship dispute just outside a 23-year-old woman’s Financial District apartment, according to police.
The woman told cops she was in an argument with her 26-year-old ex in the hallway of her 122 Water St. building around midnight, during which she pulled out her phone in an attempt to call 911 and have him removed from the premises. Police say the man responded by snatching the phone away and quickly texting one of her naked photos to the shocked woman’s friends, after which he smashed the phone on the ground.
And as the woman continued to rage at him, the ex-boyfriend went one step further and shoved her back through the open door of her apartment, causing her to fall and suffer a cut on her foot, police said. The man then reportedly fled the scene and was not arrested, although cops said they’re still looking for him. The victim refused medical attention after calling police to report the incident.
Drink away your sorrows
A senior citizen was targeted by a thief while enjoying drinks at a Tribeca pub on April 3, police said.
The man, 69, told cops he walked into the Reade Street Pub and Kitchen, at 135 Reade St., around 7 p.m., after which he hung up his coat near the bar and sat down for the libations. When he got up and retrieved the coat several hours later, he realized that his cell phone and credit card had been stolen from the pockets.
No one witnessed the crime, police said.Soundtrack swipe
While strolling down a Financial District street on the morning of April 3, this woman was so locked into the music coming from her iPhone that she ended up prey for a sneaky thief, police said.
The woman, 45, told cops she had her headphones on while walking past the corner of Water and Broad Sts., around 9 a.m., when she suddenly realized the tunes had stopped. That’s because someone snatched the phone out of her pocket, and made off with it so quickly that she never even caught a glimpse of the suspect before he or she fled the scene, police said.
Tough crowd
One bad joke was all it took for a 34-year-old man to suffer a crushed eye socket, after he was punched out inside a Financial District bar early on March 29.
The victim told cops he was having drinks with a friend inside Killarney Rose, at 127 Pearl St., around 1 a.m., when a male friend of his friend — someone not previously known to the victim — showed up and decided to hang out. During the resulting conversation, the victim and his friend made a wisecrack at the third man’s expense, to which he responded by socking the victim hard in the right eye, leaving him bruised and bloodied.
The victim was quickly hospitalized and it was later learned that he will require surgery to repair a fractured orbital bone, cops said. Based on the police report, it was unclear how the aggressor left the scene, but he was not arrested and has yet to be identified, although cops said an investigation is ongoing.
Urban lessons
Less than two months after its grand opening, a trendy Financial District fashion outlet has already been victimized by shoplifters — four of them made off with over $4,000 worth of merchandise on March 28, police said.
An employee for Urban Outfitters at 182 Broadway, which opened in February, told cops that the four male suspects — two of whom were reportedly wearing ski masks — entered the store around 11 a.m. and made their way downstairs to the pants section, where no security was present at the time. The men then swiped 15 pairs of pricey jeans, stuffed them into bags, and waltzed back out of the store without setting off any alarms or catching the eyes of store security, police said.
Although they didn’t stop the theft, store security later informed cops that the four shoplifters were aided by a woman sitting across the street in a McDonald’s, who was scoping out the store and acting as a lookout, according to a police source.
Sentimental Rolex stolen
An unfortunate woman lost a pricey — and priceless — watch that was a gift from her parents, after mistakenly leaving it inside a Financial District gym, police said.
The woman, 25, who is also a FiDi resident, told cops she was working out inside the Equinox Gym, at 14 Wall St., around 7:30 p.m. when she placed the silver Rolex inside a cup holder. After finishing up and walking out, she left the $6,500 watch behind, and didn’t realize it was gone until after she’d gotten home. She returned to the gym an hour later to try and recover it, but by then it was gone.
The watch was particularly special, the woman said, because of its engraving: “Love, Mom and Dad.”
—Sam Spokony
