Crime Watch

Compiled by Adel Manoukian Thief Bikes Away Vehicle theft-from bicycles to cars-is fairly common in the city, and mopeds, it turns out, are no exception. A 27-year-old man recently reported to police that his motorized bicycle was stolen from in front of a store on Church Street. Luckily, the building's property manager caught the theft on tape. Police described the perp as in his thirties and bald. On the tape, you can clearly see him making off with the $1,268 bike and its pricy $112 battery, but an arrest has yet to be made in the case. Swift Car Sweep As Nicholas Cage proved in his flick Gone in Sixty Seconds, it can take only a minute for a seasoned thief to nab a car. In the case of a 53-year-old man who parked his on Sixth Avenue, the thief only needed 12 minutes to steal his 1999 Infiniti. While the theft was caught on a surveillance tape posted at a nearby building, police have not yet arrested anyone or recovered the car. Right Under Her Shoulder In these crime blotter pages, we often report on wallet thefts in which the victim has left their bag slung over a chair or underneath their seat. Perhaps you have scoffed at these individuals, thinking, "I always keep my bag on me"-as it turns out, your wallet isn't immune to theft, even if you carry it on you. A 33-year-old Swedish woman was recently out at a nightclub on Mercer Street when her driver's license, debit card and credit card were stolen out of her purse, which she had been carrying on her shoulder, say police. While her cards were charged in unauthorized purchases, she quickly canceled them. Don't Buy One, Get Them All Free Criminals in the city are becoming more and more daring, as one recent case in Soho shows. A thief stepped into a store on Prince Street and, in plain view of an employee, grabbed a bundle of clothes and ran out. The stolen items, say police, included a $596 tank top, a $339 skirt, a $698 vest and a $357 top. Dressing Room Dash While trying on clothes at a chain store by the South Street Seaport complex, a 37-year-old woman briefly stepped out of her dressing room to find a shirt in another size. The woman left her belongings in the changing room, and other patrons saw a man, roughly in his fifties, go in and leave with the woman's wallet. After the woman discovered the wallet was gone, her bank called to report unauthorized charges at a nearby supermarket on Cherry Street. The woman's $200 Dooney & Burke wallet, $18 MetroCard and $70 in cash were also taken. (Odd) Handbag Heist Sometimes that customer who seems a little odd is actually a common thief. An employee at a designer store on Greene Street in Soho recently reported to police that a 40-year-old man entered her shop walked into the middle of the store, looked around and promptly left. While it didn't appear the thief had much time to steal, the employee later noticed a $2,151 handbag was gone. Case of the Disappearing Belongings on City Benches Though this should go without saying, in New York City it's pretty unwise to leave your belongings unattended on a park bench. Two young men learned this lesson the hard way. After leaving their stuff on a bench to play a few rounds of basketball, they returned to find their wallets and phones had been taken. Collectively, $310 in cash was taken.