NYPD: Man On Bike Targets Women In Manhattan Robberies
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are on the hunt for a man who they said rides up to women on a bicycle, grabs their phones and handbags, and then takes off.
Police have connected the bearded suspect to 11 robberies in the Gramercy area, around Union Square and the Flatiron District.
In each incident, the suspect comes riding along on a bike -- possibly a Citi Bike -- and grabs phones and purses.
NYPD: Man On Bike Targets Women In Manhattan Robberies
All the victims were women in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
Seven of them were walking with phones in hand, only to have them snatched, CBS2's Sonia Rincon reported. Four were robbed of their purses.
No one was hurt.
The incidents date back to February.
The most recent incident occurred on East 17th street and Irving Place at the end of April. The suspect grabbed a woman's purse and pedaled away, Rincon reported.
Women who live and work in the area say as long as the suspect is on the loose, they plan to be a lot more careful and not walk around distracted by their phones.
"I try to not do that. I try to watch the headphones and everything because they watch that too. They see headphones and think it's attached to something nice," said Mary Skekton, who works in Gramercy.
"They should be more careful. I see people walking around with their cellphone and talking while they're crossing the street," said Mildred Gan who also works in Gramercy.
"It is frightening," said Angela Ciccone, who has started putting her phone away when she's on the street. "I usually walk with it and play with it, but I put it away just to be safe."
"Something else, I said, on the block where I have to walk to work. It was frightening. Again, looking over your shoulder. I was relieved when they caught him. And I hope they catch this guy as well," Ciccone said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or text their tips to 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577.
The incidents are not the only ones involving innocent victims.
Within the last few weeks there have been several muggings in Central Park. Two teenagers were arrested for a brazen attack on a pair of young people in a playground near 62nd Street last week.
The group stole phones and punched a teenage girl, police said.
The same weekend, there was a purse-snatching and an attack on a man who was put in a chokehold, Rincon reported.
On Wednesday, police said someone mugged a man for his watch in the park near 81st and Central Park West.
