Crime Watch: Thief Sprays Clerk in Face

Unclean Getaway Around 3 p.m. on a recent Sunday, a store clerk at a Financial District department store observed a man shoplifting on the premises. The 57-year-old clerk pursued the man, who reacted to the chase by spraying the clerk in the eyes with an unknown substance. The thief then dropped the bag containing the stolen loot, which turned out to be just $15 worth of soap. The clerk returned the soap to the store unharmed, but the perpetrator got away. There were no other witnesses to the messy encounter.   Lock-Down A 29-year-old woman was working out at a Wall Street gym when several items were stolen from her unsecured locker. She reportedly left the items in the locker even though her lock was broken. The robber made off with the woman's purse, containing an iPhone, a driver's license, several credit cards and some jewelry.   Making a Drive for the Border A Canadian visitor to New York City is temporarily stranded here after his rental car was stolen from its Tribeca parking spot on Sunday, May 6th, in the early evening. Inside the stolen vehicle was a cell phone, money, a purse, a GPS, some CDs and a Canadian passport.   Calling the Fashion Police A 25-year-old woman reported her wallet was stolen from her purse in Lower Manhattan while she was recently en route to the PATH train. The woman's credit card records revealed a $720 purchase by the brand-savvy thief at Abercrombie & Fitch before she managed to cancel the card. Also missing were her driver's license, a train ticket and some cash.   Caffeine Fiasco A 55-year-old man was waiting in line at a major coffee shop chain for his morning caffeine fix, when he noticed his laptop was missing from his bag. While in the shop he reported his bag never left his person. The laptop was never recovered from the incredibly sneaky thief.   Too Hungry to Notice A 38-year-old woman was eating at a popular lunch chain mid-afternoon on a Tuesday in the Financial District when she noticed her purse had been stolen from where she set it behind her chair. The stealthy thief made off with her iPhone, wallet, passport, credit cards and house keys.   Phoning It In A 17-year-old boy was arrested mid-day in Soho after grabbing an iPhone from the hands of a 49-year-old woman, who was in the process of texting. A witness apprehended the thief, who produced a pocket knife with the blade exposed. The perpetrator was arrested by officers who discovered a stolen Blackberry in his possession as well. Other evidence collected included multiple cell phone chargers, two iPods, an iPod touch, two additional cell phones and a Bluetooth. In another "i" theft, On a Monday in Tribeca, a 63-year-old man's company iPhone was grabbed by a young man who proceeded to run off the train they both occupied. The phone's Find My iPhone application returned no results, and the victim decided not to pursue the matter. A young man was enjoying himself at a night club in Soho on a Friday at 2 a.m. when he noticed his iPhone had been stolen out of his back pocket. He searched the club for the burglar to no avail, but his phone's tracking system revealed a signal in the Bronx.   One Costly Dinner A 31-year-old man parked his car on the street in Soho and went to dinner on a Saturday, only to return at 2 a.m. and find a window smashed and a backpack missing. The backpack contained $1,670 in cash and other various items including some a charger, a calculator and some sunglasses.   An Ambitious Thief A woman was partying Thursday night at a Soho night club when she reached in her purse to discover various items missing, including cash, credit cards, an iPhone and makeup. Her American Express account called her to approve a $4,000 transaction which she denied. The 26-year-old woman claimed she was distracted by friends at the time of the theft.