Thieves on scooters are zooming up to unsuspecting pedestrians and, in a matter of seconds, swiping thousands of dollars worth of gold chains before taking off.
Police are investigating five such robberies between March 18 and April 17 in the Bronx and Manhattan.
The first robbery happened at 12:38 p.m. March 18, when two men on a black scooter approached a 47-year-old man on East Fordham Road in Fordham Heights and ripped an $8,000 gold chain from his neck.
About 20 minutes later that same day, a 42-year-old man was standing in front of 516 West 181st St. in Washington Heights when a man on a black scooter rode up to him, showed a gun and grabbed gold chains worth $10,000 from his neck, police said.
At about 4:30 p.m. March 20, a man on a black scooter grabbed two gold chains worth $500 from a 30-year-old woman crossing Tiebout Avenue and East Fordham Road in Fordham Heights.
On March 21, 2022, at about 12:50 p.m. a 30-year-old man at the intersection of Wadsworth Avenue and West 180th Street in Washington Heights was robbed of two gold chains worth $2,000. The thief was on a black scooter, police said.
Surveillance video shows the scooter driver riding up on the sidewalk, taking the chain and then taking off as the victim tries to run after him.
Another victim, a 62-year-old man standing in front of 991 Southern Blvd. in the Foxhurst section of the Bronx at 1:30 p.m. March 23, was robbed of gold chains worth $6,600 by a man on a black scooter, police said.
A man on a black scooter yanked two gold chains worth $4,000 from a 46-year-old man walking near 965 Southern Blvd. at 11:30 a.m. April 17.
All of the alleged thieves were wearing all-black clothing, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS or log onto the Crimes Stoppers website.