By Carol Tannenhauser
Since January 28, four men on mopeds have pulled off 21 grand larcenies throughout Manhattan, including one last Saturday in Central Park.
At 2:45 p.m., a 34-year-old woman walking on the 86th Street transverse fell prey to a “Manhattan Grand Larceny Pattern,” described in an NYPD report as follows:
All 21 incidents…consist of the individuals riding on mopeds approaching the victim from behind and removing a pair of Apple Air Pod Max headphones off the victim’s head. No injuries have been reported. The average value of the headphones stolen is $500.
The video below shows one of the robbers looking for his next victim.
The video was obtained from Washington Square South and LaGuarda Place, where the individuals are observed on a black moped. The passenger gets off the moped holding two pairs of Apple AirPod Max headphones and enters Washington Square Park. He is described as a male with black curly hair, medium complexion, medium build, wearing a black bubble jacket and black pants. The individual operating the black moped then drives into Washington Square Park. He is described as a male with a slim build, wearing a black helmet, a black hooded jacket, black pants and tan shoes.
The four individuals wanted are described as males with medium complexions. They are riding on two mopeds, one red and one black, with two individuals per moped. The rear passenger on the moped is the one who removes the headphones, police said.
Update, 2/24, 8:45 a.m. — The suspects have left the borough. Police released surveillance video and a photo obtained from a Home Depot at 550 Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, depicting two of the individuals on Saturday, February 18, 2023.
Anyone with information in regard to these individuals is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
All calls are strictly confidential.
I keep saying that these unlicensed mini motorbikes are a legal and safety nightmare – and used to aid and abet crime. No one cares
This is an easy one to solve. Every red moped with two people on it should be stopped and it’s owners questioned. Stop, question and frisk. The fact that some people would be offended by good old fashion police work shows how we’ve sacrificed common sense for ideology. There is nothing “progressive” about unsafe streets.
Except they wouldn’t stop every red moped with two people on it. They’d stop every red moped with Black people on it.
How would they stop them? We would need cops on motorcycles to chase them and since the moped drivers would go on sidewalks and through parks when being chased this is a terrible idea.
Problem is you can’t just pull over such individuals. We have to adopt the tactics applied in London. It’s not ramming by the way, that is clickbait headline. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/world/europe/uk-police-ramming-moped-video.html
Especially since the vehicles in the pictures are absolutely illegal to use in NYC. They are not mopeds (the peds part refers to pedals).
This is really one for the Batman.
How about the motorbikes and bikes going 30 mph on the West side highway bike path!!!!
Will anyone talk about this or are we waiting for a child to be hit?