Getaway on Citi Bikes
In what may be a first, two men used Citi Bikes as their getaway rides after snatching a woman’s handbag off a bench in the Seaport last weekend.
A 36-year-old New Jersey woman had her purse behind her in front of 89 South St. when police say the team grabbed her purse at 2 p.m. on Sun., Oct. 19. While riding away, the thieves dug in the purse and took two credit cards and an iPhone 5, worth $500, out and dropped the bag on the ground.
The woman cancelled the credit cards in time and the iPhone was tracked to Norfolk and Broome Sts. It then was turned off and not recovered. Police said one of the suspect is about 16, 5 ft. 8” and 150 pounds, but had no description of the second biker.
Woman found in river
On Wed., Oct. 15, at around 5:22 p.m., police responded to a 911 call for a person in the water in the East River near Rutgers Slip on the Lower East Side.
A boat from the New York Police Department’s Harbor unit responded and officers removed an unidentified female in her 40s from the water and transported her to Pier 16, at the South Street Seaport, where she was pronounced dead on arrival by E.M.S. medics. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation is ongoing.
No secret to shoplifters
Last time it was underwear, this time it was bras. Lots of bras, worth almost $4,000.
At the 591 Broadway Victoria’s Secret in Soho, which was hit for the second time this month, a team of two women and one man stole 84 Angel Demi Bras, sizes C and D, from a two drawers at around 10 a.m. on Fri., Oct. 17. A 31-year-old female employee reported the robbery several hours later at 3:30 p.m.
Shoe diversions
For the second time this month, a woman got her purse stolen while distracted by shoe bliss at the Steve Madden’s at 425 Broadway in Tribeca. The thief got away with $980 worth of stuff this time, Mon., Oct. 20.
The victim was an Australian tourist, 31, who was trying on shoes when a woman picked up the tourist’s purse and walked out the store around 3 p.m. In the purse was a $500 iPhone 5, Chanel lip gloss worth $100, credit cards, an Australian driver license, her hotel room key and sunglasses valued at $200. Police say there is video available and that the credit cards were cancelled in time.
The crimes do not appear to be linked since the suspect this week has straight hair and two weeks ago she had a Mohawk. On Thurs., Oct. 9, a Tribeca woman was trying on shoes, when a woman with a Mohawk dipped into the 41-year-old’s purse and stole her wallet with $300, various credit cards, a health insurance card and driver’s license in it.
Police say that suspect got away with $600 total.
Break-in & iPad grab
A thief broke the front windows of the Watermark Bar at 78 South St. in the Seaport last week and got away with 3 Apple iPads worth $1,500.
The Watermark Bar, which is closed for the season and will not reopen until March 2015, was broken into on Tues., Oct. 16 at 4:30 p.m. An employee reported the break-in to the police later that afternoon at 5:20 p.m.
Sleeping and subway riding don’t mix
Police say a 23-year-old Brooklyn woman fall asleep while waiting for an uptown train at the A, C Fulton St. stop in the Financial District at 2 p.m. on Thurs., Oct. 16, and woke up to find her $100 iPod, $250, credit cards and her Coach wristlet worth $100 were gone.
The thief used the cards to make five purchases and got away with $545 worth of stuff.
Insulin pump taken
Two cars were broken into this month in Soho — and $3,300 in stuff was taken including a valuable medical device.
The first break-in happened some time after 10 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 11 while two friends went to Midtown to enjoy the splendor of New York Comic Con. At 3 a.m., when they came back to their car, a tan 2003 Honda Accord, in front of 102 Charlton St. between Hudson and Greenwich Sts., the rear driver side window was broken.
One victim, a 24-year-old diabetic from Connecticut, lost his insulin pump — a $1,500 Mini Med Paradigm — a $300 iPad and other items for a total of $2,050.
The second crime was in front of 98 Charlton St. A 28-year-old New Jersey woman went to a bar around 1:30 a.m. early Sunday morning, Oct. 12. When she and her friend returned around 3 a.m., the left front window of the car was broken and her Steve Madden handbag was gone. Inside the purse was a Louis Vuitton brown wallet, credit cards, an iPhone worth $500 and a pair of Ray Ban glasses that cost $450. In total, the thief got away with $1,250 worth of stuff.
BMW stolen in Tribeca
A Financial District man parked his car at 452 Greenwich St. in Tribeca on Thurs., Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
When the 51-year-old returned a day later, his blue 1997 BMW Z3, worth $15,000, was nowhere to be found. Police say the car wasn’t towed and there was no broken glass at the scene.
Teens busted for car thefT
Police arrested two 16-year-old male teens from Brooklyn earlier this month. They are accused of stealing an Avis 2014 white Nissan sedan, worth $25,000, from a public garage at 10 Wooster St. between Canal and Grand Sts. in Soho on Sat. Oct. 11 around 11 a.m.
— Dusica Sue Malesevic and Zach Williams
