Police are searching for a man who they say has been haunting Williamsburg bars, waiting to grab patrons’ unattended bags when they’re not looking.
The sneak has stolen purses and bags from patrons in at least four neighborhood watering holes since September, according to the NYPD.
The first incident happened on Sept. 14, when the lowlife crept into a bar on Meserole Street between Bushwick Avenue and Waterbury Street and snatched a 23-year-old’s bag, which contained an iPhone and credit cards, officers stated.
Next up the crook filched a woman’s handbag at Tutu’s, a gastropub on Bogart Street at Varet Street, at 3 am on Oct. 4, when the lady went outside to smoke a cigarette, cops said. The purse contained $30 in cash and a handful of credit cards, per police.
A Tutu’s manager said she and her coworkers are upset that someone preyed on their customer. Obviously, there is a step that could be taken to prevent a repeat, the manager said.
“We would advise any patrons to keep their bags with them, and we will do what we can to make sure that does not happen again,” Kristina Mecchia said. “It is scary and we do not want this to happen to anyone.”
The same shady character surfaced again at a bar on Grand Street between Roebling Street and Driggs Avenue at 3:30 am on Oct. 12, according to cops. There the fellow stole a purse, and with it, its owner’s iPhone and a heap of charge cards, law enforcement officials said.
In the final crime, the guy skulked around a bar on Graham Avenue between Johnson Avenue and Boerum Street at 3:20 am on Oct. 19 and snagged a bag with cash, credit cards, and an iPhone inside, police reported.
Law enforcement officials ask people with information about the thefts to call (800) 577–8477, submit tips at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, or text-message them to 274637, then enter “TIP577.”
