Soho ‘stick up’
Before robbing a Duane Reade at 459 Broadway in Soho last weekend, the thief took a moment to check out a display of female products, according to police.
A male employee, 31, told police that the robber came in at 11:40 p.m. on Sun, Jan. 11, looked at the merchandise for a minute, and then walked over to the counter with his hand in his pocket like he had a gun. The suspect — who police say is around 35, 150 pounds and 5 ft. 8” — told the cashier, “I don’t want any problems” and to hand over all the cash in the register.
The employee, who lives in Brooklyn, was fearful for his life, police say, and turned over $160 to the man, who then fled.
Robbed in Tribeca
A thief nabbed a Brooklyn woman’s purse from behind in Tribeca last week and got away with $895 worth of stuff, police say.
The woman, 44, told police she was standing on the sidewalk on the corner of Canal and Hudson Sts. at 5:30 p.m. on Thurs., Jan 8, when she was robbed. She did not see the man’s face.
Her pocketbook had a $500 Comme des Garcons wallet, a $75 hair brush, her iPhone, a Tiffany & Co. key ring valued at $100 and a $150 Marc Jacobs makeup bag. She told police she had cancelled her credit cards in time and that there were no unauthorized charges.
Grand theft sneaker arrests
Police busted three people for using a forged credit card to purchase two pairs of Balenciaga sneakers, worth $1,210, last weekend in Soho.
The partners — comprised of two men, one 23, the other 25, and one woman, 26 — used the card at the Balenciaga store at 149 Mercer St. on Sat., Jan. 10 at 3:30 p.m.
The crime was reported quickly and the three — all from Brooklyn — were arrested and the sneakers were recovered. They were found with several other forged credit cards and three forged $100 bills.
Doors close on victim
Call it adding insult to injury: A Staten Island woman got her wallet stolen while riding the 4 train Downtown then saw the thief with it in hand as he exited the subway car just before the doors closed at Fulton St. last weekend.
The 48-year-old woman was riding the train from the Bronx on Sat., Jan. 10 at 1 p.m. when the robbery took place. The police call it a “dip” and say that the suspect is male, around 15, and got away with her credit cards, MetroCards, a $15 money order and $80.
Brazen thief smashes into Coach
One thief’s New Year resolution must have been to steal more — and he wasted no time sticking to it.
On New Year’s day at 6 a.m., a man flung a metal garbage can into the front window of the Coach store at 143 Prince St. He stole expensive purses in a myriad of colors — gold, black, teal and navy — as well as a $4,780 tan jacket, police say. He got away with a total of $8,499 in merchandise.
Burglars hit Soho homes
Thieves broke into two buildings on Sullivan St., between Spring and W. Houston Sts. earlier this month, police say.
The first incident took place on New Years Day at 1 p.m. when the thieves got in through the bathroom window at 135 Sullivan St. and stole a $500 iPad, a $130 backpack and a $199 Verizon Wi-Fi hotspot, the 27-year-old woman who lives there told police.
There were no visible signs of forced entry, police say.
Three days later, on Sun., Jan. 4 at 1 p.m. at 107 Sullivan St., thieves entered the apartment of a 30-year-old woman who was away for the holidays, police say. The woman told police that her friend came by to water her plants on Dec. 30 and didn’t notice anything missing. The thieves got away with a Tiffany pearl necklace, valued at $524, a $120 bottle of Chanel perfume, a $330 projector and $80 in cash.
Police say the crimes are not connected.
Shoplifting spree
There has been a rash of shoplifting at high-end stores in Soho, police say.
A group of ten to 12 males entered the high-end clothing store Moncler at 90 Prince St, grabbed 7 jackets worth $10,560, and fled on Fri., Jan. 2 at 6:31 p.m.
In a different incident, a male and female team stole a $5,000 pair of Chanel boots and a $3,000 Celine handbag on Tues., Dec. 30 at 4 p.m., police say. A male employee, 25, reported the theft on Jan. 5.
On Mon., Jan. 5 at 3 p.m., a man and a woman stole 20 pairs of jeans, worth $3,000, from a Club Monaco store at 121 Prince St. Police say that the woman shoved the jeans into her bag, while the man hid the pants under his jacket.
And the shoplifting has continued into the new year at the Saint Laurent Paris in Soho, where a thief got away with a $1,190 handbag on Sun., Jan. 4 at 2:42 p.m., police say.
A female employee, 35, told police that the suspect walked into the store, snatched the purse off the shelf and left. Last month, the store at 80 Greene St. was robbed twice in one week — with the thieves getting away with almost $6,000 worth of merchandise.
— DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC
