Crime Watch

Coffee Taker

Someone made off with a woman's handbag in a coffee shop. At 2 PM on Friday, April 11, a 24-year-old woman was having coffee in a coffee shop, leaving her handbag on the back of her chair. When she got up to leave, she found that her bag was gone. Items in the bag included $80 in cash, various credit cards, sunglasses, and makeup. Fortunately, no unauthorized charges have turned up on the cards.

Madison Mayhem

A man robbed a jewelry store and the clerk on duty. At 1:50 PM on Friday, April 11, a man entered a jewelry store on Madison Avenue. He forced a store employee, a 47-year-old female, to the ground by her neck and tied her hands behind her back. He then took her wallet containing credit cards and $240 in cash, before grabbing jewelry from the safe and a showcase in the front of the store. In total, he made off with $54,761. Video is available of the incident.

Unzipped and Nipped

A pickpocket stole a man's sunglasses in the subway. At 10:40 AM on Thursday, April 10, a 36-year-old man was riding the 6 train when he was bumped several times as he got off at a station. When he arrived at the street, he realized that his right sweater pocket, which had been zipped, was now unzipped and a $400 pair of sunglasses was missing.

Fare Puncher

Police arrested a taxi fare beater for assault. At 1:50 AM on Tuesday, April 8, a taxi driver - a 51-year-old man - picked up a 29-year-old male passenger on the West side downtown. The passenger asked to be driven to an address uptown. When they got to 67th Street and Park Avenue, however, the rider jumped out of the cab without paying his fare. The cabbie attempted to detain him, but the passenger punched the driver in the mouth and chest with a closed fist, causing bruising and lacerations to the cabbie's mouth. The passenger then fled east on East 66th Street, but was stopped by police and arrested for assault.

Antisocial Security

A woman's identity was stolen. At 9:30 AM on Thursday, April 10, a 46-year-old woman reported that an unknown perpetrator had withdrawn $1,200 from her bank account via an online payment. She told police that she had also received a letter from the IRS stating that someone else had used her Social Security number to file a tax return.