Crime Watch: Break-In; Ice Cream; Clothing Thefts; Missing Rings; Stolen Wallet

Compiled By Paul Bisceglio BREAK-IN, BURGLARY IN THE WEST 80'S A young man's apartment was robbed on Sunday, Dec. 30. The 24-year-old left his West 81st Street home at 6 p.m., and when he returned at around 11 p.m. he found his door open and his lights on. A Mac laptop, $4,000 camera, TV, a DVD player and $250 in cash were stolen. The victim remembers locking his door when he left. The robber(s) have yet to be identified and remain at large. DISTRACTED BY ICE CREAM A woman had her wallet stolen while grabbing a bite two weeks ago. At 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 27, the 44-year-old New Jersey resident stopped by an ice cream shop on Broadway, and hung her purse from the arm of her chair as she sat down to eat. When she went to pay, she dug into the purse for her wallet and found it was missing. She canceled her three credit cards, but not before unauthorized charges were made. UPSCALE CLOTHING THEFT A thief robbed an upscale clothing store on Columbus Avenue by sneaking items into a bag. The man entered the store around 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22, to browse, and the store's workers failed to see him grab two jackets and three scarves from the store's shelves and hide them. He then sauntered out of the store and escaped in an unknown direction. The items stolen were worth $2,373. Video surveillance may provide clues to the criminal's identity, but as of now he is unidentified and wanted for grand larceny. UPSCALE CLOTHING THEFT 2 On Dec. 29, another clothing store was robbed in a similar fashion. An unidentified thief entered the store on Broadway at 6 p.m. carrying a garbage bag, and managed to fill the bag with clothing and merchandise without being detected. According to the police report, items stolen included 70 women's sweaters worth $4,800. The man fled the store, and the store's workers called police 30 minutes later, but the thief remains at large and wanted for grand larceny. MISSING RINGS Three rings were stolen from a West 76th Street resident in November. The 31-year-old woman returned to her home from a trip at the end of the month and placed the three rings, all gold with ruby and diamond ornamentations, in a tote bag on her bedroom dresser. When she went to put on the rings for work on the morning of Nov. 28, however, they were gone. There were no signs of forced entry to the apartment, but the woman had allowed housekeeping and other workers into her apartment in the time between her return home and the rings' disappearance. The three rings were worth $1,900. The thief is wanted for grand larceny. WALLET STOLEN FROM A DOCTOR'S WAITING ROOM A man in the waiting area of a doctor's office lost his wallet when he left to answer a phone call. The victim, age unreported, was filling out medical forms in a medical building on West 59th Street at 3:45 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 28, when his phone rang. He left his wallet on the table and ran out of the room to take the call. When he returned just 30 to 45 seconds later, the wallet was gone. He lost credit cards and $140 cash. Police are working on identifying the thief, who is wanted for grand larceny.