Crime Watch

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.