Caught On Video: Man On Bike Snatches Woman's Cellphone In East Village
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A man on a bicycle was caught on camera snatching a phone from a woman – and it only took a split second.
As CBS2's Tracee Carrasco, the man on the bike came out of nowhere, yanked away the phone, and sped off. Police said it was not the only time.
Dashcam video shows the woman as she crosses East 7th Street at Avenue A in the East Village on Wednesday evening, cell phone in hand -- until a bold biker cruises through the intersection and snatches the phone right out of her hand.
Stunned, the woman unsuccessfully chases after him. Her phone ends up long gone.
Police said the man on the bicycle is now wanted for stealing two cellphones the same way.
CBS2 went back to the scene of the crime and showed people the video.
"It's shocking that someone would do that. It's pretty fast that it happened… what a jerk," said Rob Mastrianni of the East Village.
"It's surprising," said another passerby.
"I don't know what I would do if that happens to me," a third said.
Police sources tell CBS2, it was a Galaxy Note 4 Android phone the 29-year-old woman was holding. It was stolen despite a reported decrease in smartphone thefts -- thanks to kill-switch technology that lets the owner remotely turn off a stolen or lost phone, making it useless to thieves.
But preventing a smart phone theft begins with the owner. The NYPD reminds people to:
• Stay alert to lurking predators or unexpected dangers;
• Avoid leaving your phone on the table at restaurants, bars, and coffee shops;
• Avoid leaving your phone in an open handbag;
• And in perhaps the important lesson learned in this video, do not call attention to yourself by walking with your smartphone in hand when not in use.
"Especially when you cross the street, you shouldn't have your phone in your hand like that," Mastrianni said.
Police sources told CBS2 the woman reported her stolen phone to the 9th Precinct, and the case as of Friday night was still an open and active investigation.
