A stranger in a car stole a teenager’s purse when she went to talk to him early on May 19, police said.
The man in the unknown car pulled up to the corner of 82nd Street and Fifth Avenue around 1 am and managed to get the young woman’s attention. When the New Jersey native walked up to the car to talk to him, he grabbed her purse and drove off.
The teen’s Gucci purse, with a gold buckle, held a bottle of perfume, a cellphone and a blue terry-cloth designer wallet, with credit cards, a Garden State driver’s license and her Social Security card.
Boutique rob
It was like a rain shower spoiling the Big Day. Or at least dampening the planning phase.
A black-hatted thief dashed into an 86th Street bridal shop and snatched the purse of a woman on May 17, police said.
The 37-year-old woman had put her purse down inside the shop, near 12th Avenue, just after 5 pm. The 6-foot, 180-pound man, with a black hat, snatched the Coach leather bag, worth $450 — and the wallet with $350 in cash and credit cards.
Friend turns foe
What started as a friendly visit on May 18 ended with the caller in the hospital and the host in jail.
The 34-year-old victim stopped by his friend’s house, on 86th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway, around 7:30 pm, police said. It’s not clear what sparked the disagreement, but for some reason the resident got angry, picked up a metal pipe and struck the visitor several times in his left arm.
While the victim was sent to the hospital, Police Officer Igor Ubavin arrested the 48-year-old suspect and collected the pipe as evidence.
Cash missing
Here’s another reason to not visit New Jersey.
A Bay Ridge man lost $7,000 to a burglar who broke into his home while he was across the Hudson River for 24 hours, police said.
The 22-year-old left his home, at 71st Street and 11th Avenue, around 1 pm on May 17. When he returned the next afternoon, he found the bars pried away from a basement window and a safe inside emptied. No one saw the thief, who left behind a screwdriver and sledgehammer.
Sneaky thief
Someone snatched nearly $3,000 in valuables from a 65th Street home without leaving any obvious clues, police said.
The burglar sneaked into the building, which is between Third and Fourth avenues, between 11:30 am and 9:30 pm on May 17.
When the 22-year-old resident got home, she saw no sign of a break-in, but also saw that her desktop computer, personalized iPod, and digital camera were missing. The thief also took $450 in diamond jewelry and a designer watch.
Car swiped
Thieves stole a 2005 Mercury from Third Avenue on May 18, police said.
The four-door Montego was parked near 93rd Street at 9 pm. When the owner, a 45-year-old Staten Island man, returned just 20 minutes later, the gray sedan was gone without a trace.
Flat footed
A woman’s purse was snatched and her foot run over on May 20.
It all went down when she was shopping in an 86th Street department store. At around 2 pm, a female thief snatched her purse and fled the store, which is near New Utrecht Avenue. The victim chased after the thief, who jumped into her red pickup. In the process of trying to stop the thief, the victim’s left foot was run over by one of the pick-up’s tires, police said.
The 42-year-old victim was unable to get a good look at her attacker but did get her plate number, GMA–N01. Cops are asking anyone who saw the incident to call the 62nd Precinct.
From behind
A woman’s purse was swiped on 65th Street near the intersection of Bay Parkway on May 19.
The 25-year-old victim was walking at around 9:30 pm when a perp rushed her from behind and snatched the pocketbook. The purse had $120, including her passport, police said.
The thief fled down West Sixth Street before the woman could identify him.
Dirty thieves
An elderly woman lost her jewelry, checkbook, and even her vacuum cleaner in a break-in at her West 10th Street apartment on May 18, police said.
The 67-year-old woman came back to her apartment, which is near Avenue P, at around 8 am. The thieves had rummaged broken her front door.
There were no witnesses to the odd morning break-in.
One bad block
Two blocks of 71st Street saw at least three break-ins last week, cops said.
In the first case, on May 15, a woman came home to her 71st apartment to discover that thieves had taken her property.
The 50-year-old returned to her apartment, which is near 19th Avenue, at around 11 am. The thieves had broken the padlocks on her bedroom window and taken $1,500 in cash, and more than $2,400 in jewelry and electronics, police said.
One day later — and just one block over — another 71st apartment was ransacked, also in a break-in that netted thieves a nice bit of jewelry.
In that case, the tenant had returned to her apartment, which is near 18th Avenue, at around 9:30 am to find that thieves had broken open a basement door to gain access to her first-floor apartment. They took $3,500 in cash and jewelry, police said.
And one day after that, a man who didn’t trust anyone else with his money, not even the banks, had his 71st Street apartment robbed of cash and shiny jewelry.
The thieves broke in through the front door of the apartment, which is near 16th Avenue, at around 10 am. They swiped $20,000 in cash, including some of his prized family jewels, police said.
A neighbor saw the perps leave, but was unable to get a good look at their faces.
Jewelry thieves
A man walked into a 86th street jewelry store and walked out with a tray of rings totaling $10,000 on May 15, police said.
The thief came into the store, which is near 20th Avenue, at around 5 pm, and asked to see a tray that held 12 rings. Before the owner could ask him which one he liked, the thug ran out with the rings in hand and jumped into a white BMW X5.
