Crime Watch

BY JERRY DANZIG

Pay for PlayPlaytime became crime time for an unfortunate Upper East Side resident. At 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11, a 64-year-old woman was with her grandchild in the playground at East 96th Street and Lexington Avenue looking at her cell phone when two teenagers ran up, grabbed her phone, and fled in an unknown direction. The stolen cell was an iPhone 5C valued at $200.

Pack AttackLeave it on the floor, and it might leave out the door. At 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, a 46-year-old man placed his backpack on the floor next to him in a bar at 50th Street and Second Avenue. When he looked for the pack an hour later, he found that it was gone. His stolen property included an iPhone that was later tracked to a location in Queens but not recovered, and other property totaling $1,200.

Gorging on ForgingPolice arrested a man who had tried to buy shoes and jeans worth more than $8,000 with forged documents. Between noon and 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, a 24-year-old man entered a high-end retail establishment on Madison Avenue and attempted to buy several items of merchandise using a forged document, credit card and driver’s license. The items of merchandise were four pairs of sneakers tagged at $5,570 and two pairs of jeans valued at $2,770. Store personnel became suspicious and held the man until police arrived. The arresting officers found five more forged credit cards and two driver’s licenses in the defendant’s possession. He was arrested and charged with grand larceny.

No EscapeSometime between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, a robber entered the apartment of a 26-year-old man living on 85th Street between Second and First Avenues and stole some of his possessions. When the man returned from work that evening, he found his apartment in disarray, though there were no signs of forced entry. He told police he had left his fire escape window unlocked. The items stolen included a MacBook, two Movado watches, a hard drive, and jewelry with a total value of $4,500.

FuhgeddabouditOn Thursday, Oct. 8, a 44-year-old female Upper East Side resident received a phone call from a retailer inquiring about purchases she had made. She then checked her credit card statement and discovered that a number of unauthorized purchases had been charged to her account at various stores, with deliveries made to an address in Brooklyn. She still had her credit card in her possession. Police said they are investigating the matter.