Crime Watch

BY JERRY DANZIG

Wallet SnatchedA thief charged up a storm after stealing a woman’s wallet. At 5:10 p.m. on Saturday, September 2, a 31-year-old woman placed her bag next to her inside the Nike store at 529 Broadway. When the time came to pay for her purchases, her wallet was missing. She spoke to the store manager, who gave her access to store security footage which showed a man taking her wallet out of her bag. She subsequently canceled her cards but not before unauthorized charges showed up in the amount of $8,430.

Shoplifting No Secret to WitnessA sharp-eyed onlooker helped police nab a shoplifter. At 5:20 p.m. on Sunday, August 20, a woman saw observed a 54-year-old woman removing items off a display rack inside the Victoria’s Secret store on Liberty Street, police said. Police subsequently arrested Sandra Blanding and charged her with grand larceny. She had stolen five items totaling $1,000.

Shoplifter FoiledDoes a bag lined with aluminum foil really thwart store security devices? It would at least seem to confirm a shoplifter’s intentions. At 3:40 p.m. on Friday, September 1, a 55-year-old man took items from the Paige Denim store on Mercer Street, police said. Police arrived and arrested the shoplifter, Elliott Pinacle, charging him with grand larceny and finding him in possession of burglar’s tools in the form of a so-called booster bag lined with aluminum foil.

Property taken from TouristTalk didn’t come cheap for a robbery victim recently. At 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 7, a 36-year-old man from Australia placed his wallet and sunglasses on a table inside the Stone Street Tavern on Stone Street. Apparently he became engrossed in conversation, and when he turned his head back to check his property 20 minutes later his possessions were gone. The stolen property included a Louis Vuitton wallet valued at $1,000, a pair of Oliver Peoples sunglasses priced at $300 and $200 in cash.

No Break for Restroom UserAt 5:50 p.m. on Saturday, September 9, a 30-year-old woman left her bag on the floor of the Chobani store on Prince Street while she used the bathroom. When she returned, several items had been taken from her bag, including an Phone 7 valued at $900, her wallet, various credit cards and other items.