Police Blotter: Thief Arrested After Stealing Man’s Cell on Fifth Ave.

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

Cellphone Snatcher Arrested

Police arrested a 21-year-old man for stealing another man’s cellphone while they were both in a bodega on Fifth Avenue on July 18.  

The victim told police that he was in Park Slope Natural, between St. Marks Place and Warren Street, at around 10:50 p.m. when the crook snatched the victim’s Blackberry from his hands and then ran into his home, right next door. When police came, the crook ran up to the roof to escape. However, the police arrested shortly. The phone was not recovered.

Four Grand in Fraudulent Credit Card Charges

An identity thief took $4,000 out of a Park Slope man’s bank account on July 18.

The 37-year-old victim told police that he does not know how someone got his debit card information because he did not lose it. The crook was able to remove $4,000 from the man’s bank account before he cancelled his debit card.

Fanny Pack Pharmacy Stolen

A crook stole a man’s fanny pack, filled with anti-anxiety medication and credit cards, he left on the seat of his bicycle while he went into a Fifth Avenue diner on July 20.

The 53-year-old victim told police that he went out to smoke a cigarette in front of Daisy’s Diner, between Ninth and 10th streets, at around 12:45 a.m. and placed his fanny pack on his bicycle parked on the sidewalk and then went inside the diner. When he went back to grab his fanny pack, it was gone. The thief got away with a bottle of Xanax, baby Aspirin, Lipitor and a debit and credit card. The crook then was able to use the card at a gas station and grocery store in Brooklyn before the victim cancelled the cards. 

Phone Snatch

A crook snatched a woman’s cellphone out of her hands near J.J. Byrne Park on July 20.

The 25-year-old victim told police that she was walking on Fifth Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets when a man took her iPhone out of her hands and ran away at around 10:30 p.m. Then, she was approached by two men who told her they’d get the iPhone back, but she never got it back.

Purse on Stool Snatch

A crook snatched a tourist’s purse from a Fourth Avenue bar, stealing her passport, cellphone and credit cards on July 22.

The 19-year-old victim, who is visiting from Europe, told police that she meet up with a friend at Cherry Tree, between St. Marks Place and Bergen Street, at around 1 a.m. She put her purse down by a stool she was sitting on, but when she went to grab it and leave an hour later, it was gone. The thief made off with her designer bag, passport, credit card, cellphone and keys.