Crime Watch

Pry Surprise

A man's apartment was broken into, but nothing was taken. The victim went on a vacation, leaving Wednesday, February 26, and returning Saturday, March 1. One of his neighbors called him during that period, after discovering that the man's front door was ajar, and there were pry marks indicating a forced entry. When the man returned from his vacation, however, he discovered that nothing had been taken from his apartment, a rather remarkable circumstance in New York City.

Ill Fates for Four Mates

Someone stole a number of items from an apartment on Thompson Street. At 11 a.m. on Friday, February 28, one of four apartment mates left their home and returned at 5:45 p.m. At that time in the afternoon, the front door was found open, with no signs of forced entry, and multiple items of property valued at $7,400 were missing, including three MacBooks, a camera, an iPad, earrings, a necklace, a diamond ring, and cash. It was believed that one of the apartment mates might have left the door open during the day.

Samba Snatch

A man lifted cell phones from two women dancing in a club. At 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, March 2, two women were dancing at a popular Brazilian nightclub on Varick Street, when they noticed that their cell phones were missing from their pockets. Police were able to track the phones to a location in Brooklyn, where they arrested a sticky-fingered 32-year-old man who had both of the cell phones in his possession.

You Booze, You Lose

Someone stole a man's possessions that he had left unattended in a bar. At 9 p.m. on Thursday, February 27, a 32-year-old man discovered that items he had left unattended in a tavern on West Broadway for two hours were missing. These items included a MacBook Pro valued at $1,200, an iPad costing $500, prescription glasses valued at $500, and a $50 bag. The total haul amounted to $2,250.

Chair Snare

A woman's bag was removed from her chair in a café. At 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, a tourist couple from Brazil were sitting in a café on Day Street, when the woman realized that her bag had been taken from the back of her chair. She and her husband had not seen the thief, and the bag contained $1,000 in U.S. currency, a $500 camera, and a number of credit cards.

Thieves in the Night

Two men were arrested for two subsequent muggings. At 11:25 p.m. on Tuesday, February 11, three young men entered a bar on John Street and asked to see a 19-year-old male employee. When the employee came out onto the street, the three men jumped him and attempted -- but failed -- to take his wallet. Twenty minutes later, the three young men next accosted a 22-year-old man on the corner of William and Pine Streets, saying that he owed them money. An altercation ensued, during which the thieves pulled a knife on the 22-year-old. Police had been on the lookout for the three men following the earlier incident, however, and succeeded in arresting two of the muggers, a 21-year-old and a 24-year-old.