Leave Your Bags on Your Back

It’s nice to know people are so trusting of those around them. In New York City it’s a rare quality, but one that can cost its practitioners dearly. On the night of Saturday, April 28, a woman at a bar near 76th Street and Second Avenue had her bag stolen off the back of her chair. The unknown thief took the woman’s cellphone, wallet and a pair of Marc Jacobs sunglasses as well as her Yohji Yamamoto bag valued at $1,500. The 21st Precinct wishes to remind residents that although going to a bar usually promises a night of fun and friends, people should always keep an eye on their belongings.

Party Pooper

Throwing a house party is always fun—when it’s held at someone else’s home. One resident of the Upper East Side learned this lesson the hard way on Saturday, April 28, after an unknown partygoer stole the show.

The host was allowing people into his soiree when a party crasher made his way inside. After mingling with the other guests, the crook got to work and pocketed a Tag Heuer and a Seiko watch, each one valued at over $1,000. The thief, maybe emboldened by his new timepieces, also seized an iPod and then went for the big prize. As he made his way out of the apartment, he shoved a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black under his coat, thus stealing the life of party and giving himself something to toast with, too. So far, no arrests have been made.

Taking a Beating for Electronic Love

From Tribeca to Harlem, there are always cases of people being ambushed for their valuables, an unpleasant fact New Yorkers must deal with now that they keep pricey toys in their pockets. These crooks do not discriminate or use fair tactics, as one woman discovered last Thursday night on Third Avenue near East 95th Street. The woman was talking on her cellphone when she was approached by a group of four black men and two women, who demanded that she hand over her valuables or suffer a beating. She then made a choice that the NYPD swears up and down is the absolute wrong thing to do: She held fast to her cellphone and invited the challenge. The group punched the woman repeatedly in the face and body, while trying to get the victim to release her vise-like grip on her phone. After realizing that they were fighting a losing battle, the dastardly thugs took off down East 95th toward the West Side. The victim refused medical attention and suffered a few bruises, but she got lucky, according to police. Although these crooks quickly took off, New Yorkers should remember that while we may be some tough cookies, losing a life over a cellphone is not worth the cost.

Baggage Claim

The MTA tells you to keep your belongings in sight at all times, and this rule applies for being on the street as well. At about noon of Saturday the 28th, a woman found an ideal parking spot on East 82nd Street, but needed a way to ensure that the spot remained open to her vehicle; ergo she utilized a piece of luggage as a means to tell other motorists that this spot was off-limits. One crooked driver was not in need of her spot, but realized the potential to profit from her blunder. When the woman returned to park her car, she saw a black sedan pulling away with her luggage in the backseat of the car. The woman lost several shirts, a $400 silk dress and a box of Quaker oatmeal.

Crime Overkill

How many guys does it take to steal two iPhones, a $40 Metrocard and $31 in cash? Five, apparently, with a semi-automatic firearm thrown into the mix. A posse of five perpetrators accosted two young men on Amsterdam Avenue near West 68th Street at about 2:30 a.m. on Monday. The group showed the men the gun and racked the slide on the weapon, demanding cash and their phones. The perps made off with their loot—pretty paltry when split five ways—and fled on foot.

Faulty Memory, Missing Jewelry

A 60-year-old woman reported to police that the jewelry she had shown to her roommate and to one of her home health aides had gone missing. The woman said that she has had several aides at different times and could not remember to whom she showed the jewelry. She said that she kept the valuables in her bedroom safe but did not lock it. The missing items, which are worth a total of $3,579, include a $2,000 gold and diamond ring and gold wedding bands worth $1,000.

Happy Healthy Thieves

In the middle of the day last Friday, three brazen thieves—two women and one man working together—stormed a Rite Aid on Amsterdam Avenue and grabbed dozens of items off the store shelves. The trio made off with $3,042 worth of drugstore products.

Short on Cash

A 41-year-old man was arrested early Saturday morning after he was caught red-handed rifling through a stolen purse. The man had been drinking at a local pub and was caught without the funds to pay for his $69 bar tab at the end of the evening. He snagged a woman’s purse from her chair and snuck it into the men’s bathroom to snatch her credit cards, but was found out before he could do any damage.

Breaking the Lease

Some people just don’t read the fine print on their rental agreements. A woman reported to police last week that her tenant, to whom she had rented a fully furnished apartment, apparently didn’t understand that the furnishings were not hers to keep and move as she pleased. The lessee vacated the apartment and stole two televisions worth over $1,000, as well as the cable boxes, a lamp, TV stand and armoire, together worth $2,598.

Drinking Games

A pair of friends were drinking together at one of their apartments on West 62nd Street last Tuesday. All was going well until they got into a verbal spat, which quickly escalated to violence when the woman picked up a glass cup used for decoration and decided to use it instead as a weapon, smashing it into her male buddy’s face. The man suffered a laceration, severe bleeding and bruising and was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital for treatment.

Grocery Store Grabber

A woman was shopping at Trader Joe’s around noon last Friday, her purse in her cart as she searched for cheap produce. When she got to the checkout, however, she discovered that her wallet was missing. By the time she walked over to a local Citibank branch to report her credit cards stolen, the bank told her that someone had used her card to purchase a $510 computer at Best Buy.

iPhone Bandit Still on Prowl

Keep your cell phones in your pockets. The iPhone “Lone Ranger” is still on the loose, working the 90s between Third Avenue and Riverside Drive. The thief rides up to people on a bike while they are chatting on the phone and snatches it out of their hand mid-conversation, making a getaway before they can do anything about it. So far, there have been 18 reported incidents. Police are still on the lookout for him and advise people to safeguard their cells, only using them when necessary.

Linsanity Causes Thiefsanity

An Upper East Sider got more than he bargained for when he purchased Knicks tickets off of Craigslist. The victim met up with the potential ticket seller at 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, where he paid $250 for a pair of Knicks tickets. Later, when he showed up at Madison Square Garden, he was told that the tickets were forged.

Cell Phone Commotion

A young woman was walking on 82nd Street and York Avenue, talking on her cell phone, when two men jumped her, pushed her to the ground and tried to take the phone. The woman fought back, screaming as loud as she could, but it was to no avail. The men pried the phone loose and took off running down the street.

Waiting on a Train

A 21-year-old woman was preparing to get on the train at the 59th Street station when a perp came up and struck her in the left side of her face, grabbing her wallet. The thief made off with $16.

All’s Well That Ends Well 

The police happened to be in the right place when a woman was walking on 88th and Lexington and a thief snatched her bag and took off running. Far from being scared, the woman chased after him and followed him back to a car the thief jumped into, starting the engine. Seeing that the passenger side door was open, the feisty female reached in to grab her purse right as the thief gunned the engine, throwing her to the ground before she could take back her property.

But luck was on the victim’s side. A police sergeant happened to be passing by and she was able to flag him down. The two went in hot pursuit and caught up with the thief, who had ditched the bag out the window when he saw that he was being followed. Too bad a couple of witnesses saw him trying to get rid of the evidence.

The criminal was arrested and taken to jail.

Early Commute Surprise

A man was heading down the stairs of the 68th Street station to go to work when he felt a sharp object against his back and heard a voice say, “Don’t even call. You know what time it is.” The man handed over his wallet, $95 and a Metrocard. The thief headed east on 68th Street.