Police Blotter: Thief Steals iPhone and Kindle from Woman’s Bike Basket

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

Bike Basket Grab

A quick-handed crook snatched a woman’s purse out of the basket of her bicycle while she was riding on Park Place and got away with her electronics, a wallet and identification on June 15.

The 26-year-old victim told police that she was riding southbound on Park Place at around 12:45 p.m. when she stopped on Seventh Avenue, right before Flatbush Avenue. Then, a man reached into the front basket on her bike and removed her pocketbook and jumped into a blue four-door sedan that sped off towards Flatbush and made a right towards Grand Army Plaza. The thief made off with her black iPhone, an Amazon Kindle, a yellow leather wallet, her license and library card. 

Bank Account Scam

A crook withdrew close to $3,000 from a Park Slope woman’s bank account after her card was lost sometime between June 11 and 15.

The 39-year-old victim, who lives on Fifth Avenue, told police that her daughter’s debit card was lost and she was notified that someone withdrew $2,984.65 from the account. The crook also deposited a couple of money orders. The withdrawals took place on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. Chase bank refunded the woman’s bank account. 

Motorcycle Stolen

A booster stole a motorcycle from its long-term parking spot on Union Street sometime between March 12 and June 14.

The 37-year-old victim told police that he parked his orange KMT motorcycle on the street between Sixth and Seventh avenues on March 12 at around 6 p.m. When he went to ride it three months later, on June 14 at around 8 a.m., it was gone. The NYPD said that it was not towed and in a legal spot. 

Tax Scam

A crook cashed a man’s tax return for $2,500 after he filed his taxes in March at a Third Avenue accountant sometime between March 25 and June 13. 

The 24-year-old man told investigators that he filed his taxes at Boss Tax Professionals LLC on Third Avenue, between Baltic and Butler streets, on March 25. By the end of May, he called the IRS and asked where his tax return was in the process. The IRS told the man that they released his return. The victim has a copy of his tax return, for $2,513, on which someone forged his signature.  

ATM Heist

A thief withdrew a total of $800 from a Park Slope woman’s bank account after she used a 15th Street ATM between May 16 and June 5.

The 30-year-old victim told police that she used an ATM between Seventh and Eighth avenues at around 6:30 p.m. on May 16. She still had her debit card and said that she is “100 percent positive” that she logged off the ATM, but still someone was able to make multiple withdrawals for a total of $800.