Police Blotter: Crook Steals $4,000 in Cash and Electronics from Van on Eighth Avenue

The following information was supplied by the 78th Precinct of the NYPD. It does not indicate a conviction.

Electronics and Cash Stolen from Van

A thief broke into a woman’s van parked on Eighth Avenue and stole over $5,000 in electronics and cash on May 31.

The 53-year-old victim told police that she parked her grey Ford van near St. Johns Place at around 1:20 p.m. When she returned to her ride at around 5:20 p.m., she found that someone broke the lock on the passenger side door and stole a GPS device, a Dell laptop, a book with checks inside, a portable DVD player and $4,000 in cash.

iPhone Snatch, Bike Getaway 

Police arrested a crook who stole a man’s cell phone on Fifth Avenue and handed it off to an accomplice on a bike on May 30.

The 37-year-old victim told police that he was walking down the avenue at around 5:25 p.m., but as he got to the corner of St. Johns Place an 18-year-old man snatched his iPhone out of his left hand. The thief then handed it off to an accomplice on a bike. The biker, who is described as a black man standing 5-foot-6, weighing 130 pounds, rode off and got away. However, police arrested the other crook who snatched the victim’s iPhone. 

Wallet Stolen, Credit Card Charged

A thief snatched a woman’s wallet from a Ninth Street grocery store and charged over $100 on one of her credit cards on May 28.

The 54-year-old victim told police that she took her wallet out of her purse while paying at the cash register at near Fifth Avenue at around 4:30 p.m. and left it on the counter. Three hours later, she realized her wallet was not in her purse and C-Town employees told her that her wallet was not found nor turned in. She lost four credit cards, a debit card, a social security card and a Virginia Nursing license. American Express told her that her card was charged at Target and Rite Aid for $137.

Bad Hair Day

A New York Methodist Hospital employee assaulted an X-Ray technician on Sixth Street on May 27.

The 48-year-old victim, who is an X-Ray technician, told police that he was talking about haircuts with another tech when a fellow colleague overheard the conversation, got offended and shoved him into a chair at around 6:34 p.m. The assaulter then started choking the man, which left red marks around his neck. The victim pushed the man away and was brought to the emergency room. He is not seriously injured, but told police he is in fear of his safety. 

Credit Card Swipe

A crook stole a Union Street resident’s credit card and charged almost $2,000 between May 25 and 29.

The victim told police that some one stole his credit card from his apartment near Eighth Avenue and charged it for a total of $1,925.60.

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