Crime Watch

Strange Coincidence The moral of this incident might read: Don't leave your bag unattended-even in a bar. A 27-year-old woman went to a bar on Mercer Street Thursday, Jan. 12, and was rudely reminded of this lesson. She left her bag, containing a laptop, among other items, underneath the bar, say police. An unusual-acting man came in, stayed for roughly 20 minutes and promptly left. When the woman went to retrieve her purse, she noticed it was missing. She left her information with a bartender, who called her at 3 a.m. with an interesting development.

It turns out the man was later seen at Fanelli's Café on nearby Prince Street. The manager of the café told police that the man was acting strangely; he reportedly stayed for a bit and then left, leaving behind both the purse and the laptop. The woman's credit cards, however, weren't recovered and she apparently discovered $87 in unauthorized charges for cigars and food.

Always Check the Cab Before You Exit The previous brief notwithstanding, most times, when you lose or misplace something in New York City, it stays missing. Such was the case for a 24-year-old Wall Street resident. After a cab ride home late at night last week, the woman realized that she had left her wallet in the car's back seat. Shortly after realizing it was gone, she learned that $30 had been charged to one of her debit cards at a gas station on Queens Boulevard. The other missing, and probably not be seen again, items were a $70 train ticket to Hicksville, a $40 Macys gift card and a $60 Bumble and Bumble gift card.

Two Thefts, One Bar A bar on Varick Street has reported a lot of theft activity. Two incidents came to the fore recently, say police. In late December, a man placed his jacket under a chair before getting up to dance. When he returned, his jacket was missing. Another man at the watering hole/club on Monday, Dec. 16, had his wallet reportedly safely stored in the back pocket of his jeans. He felt a bump and noticed his wallet was gone. It is still unclear whether the wallet was stolen or simply lost in the fray, as no charges were made to the 25-year-old man's debit cards.

Over $1,000 Stolen in Beauty Products Last week, a 38-year-old employee at a beauty chain store on Broadway in Soho noticed a woman clandestinely taking items off the shelves and slipping them into her shopping bag. While she made her rounds around the shop, the male employee called the police, who quickly arrived to arrest the 26-year-old. Police reported that the goods in her "goody" bag totaled $1,168.50. Quite the stash.

The Case of the Missing Vehicle A Brooklyn man parked his Hyundai Elantra on West Houston Street between Varick Street and Sixth Avenue last week at roughly 7pm. When he returned to the car a few hours later, it was missing. A canvass of the neighborhood didn't turn up anything and there was no glass at the scene. Looks like the man will either have to replace his car, which retails for around $20,000, or wait for it to turn up in a junkyard.

-Compiled by Marissa Maier