A thief has been snatching necklaces off people in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx and then fleeing on a moped — a kind of vehicle that is increasingly being used in robberies citywide, according to the NYPD.
Police released images on Thursday of a masked, moped-riding person they said is linked to six daytime robberies of four women and two teenage girls who were wearing chains in June and July.
In one robbery on June 19, an unknown person on a moped approached a 17-year-old girl walking along West 125th Street in Harlem and snatched her chain off her neck, police said. The person then fled on the moped.
The NYPD said five more robberies over the next two weeks fit the same pattern. None of the victims, who ranged in age from 14 to 38, were injured, according to officials.
Since 2022, the NYPD has cracked down on unregistered two-wheeled vehicles, including mopeds, scooters and ATVs, particularly at bridge and tunnel crossings. Police had confiscated 42,000 such vehicles as of last month, officials said.
Mayor Eric Adams has said motorized scooters and mopeds endanger pedestrians when drivers act recklessly, and that thieves are now using the vehicles. The number of complaints involving robberies with these vehicles jumped from 44 in the first five months of 2022 to 415 during the same period this year, according to his office. Police have said perpetrators of assault are also fleeing on scooters and mopeds.
Smaller vehicles like mopeds enable a quick escape via alleyways and sidewalks where police cruisers can’t go. The New York Times reported earlier this month that gun-toting, moped-riding bandits have robbed outdoor diners at high-end eateries in Brooklyn and Manhattan of expensive watches — including one worth $100,000.
Overall, the number of robbery incidents in the city is up 4.3% so far this year compared to the same time last year, NYPD data shows. Compared to two years ago, robberies are down 1.3%.
Those with information about the recent chain-snatching incidents are asked to call NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit Crime Stoppers’ website.