Bottoming Out

by Jerry Danzig

A little after 1:30 in the afternoon of Saturday, June 8, a 42-year-old woman was working in a boutique on West 70th street when an unknown man came into the store and began to look at merchandise. The man asked to see jewelry at the bottom of a display case. The employee opened the case and while bending over to retrieve an item on the bottom, the customer reached over the employee and grabbed another item, putting it quickly into his back pocket. He managed to do this twice, pocketing two bracelets. The thief then left the store, heading west on 70th Street towards Broadway. Items stolen were a 1920s platinum and diamond sapphire line bracelet valued at $9,800 and an 18-karat gold diamond bangle valued at $8,500, for a total haul of $18,300.