A serial pickpocket is going after female shoppers in the busy Main Street-Roosevelt Avenue area of Flushing — swiping their cellphones, cash and credit cards since late January, police said.
Each time, the suspect steals the woman’s valuables from her pocket or handbag while she is shopping or making a purchase.
According to police, the suspect is wanted in nine thefts, all of which took place at the J-Mart supermarket located at 136-20 Roosevelt Ave. or at other businesses within about a few blocks of that store:
- On Jan. 29, at 8:30 p.m., the suspect approached a 22-year-old woman as she was shopping at a Duane Reade located at 136-02 Roosevelt Ave. and took her wallet containing an undetermined amount of cash and various credit cards.
- On Feb. 8, at 5:20 p.m., the suspect approached a 29-year-old woman as she was shopping at J-Mart, and removed her iPhone 6 from her jacket pocket.
- On Feb. 10, at 9 a.m., a 77-year-old woman was shopping at J-Mart when she was bumped into by an unknown person, causing her vegetables to fall to the floor. As the victim approached the checkout counter, she discovered that her wallet, which contained cash and various cards, had been stolen.
- On Feb. 14, at 5:30 p.m., the suspect came up to a 30-year-old woman as she was shopping at the Jiang City Supermarket located at 40-38 Main St. and removed her wallet from her bag containing $300 and various credit cards.
- On Feb. 27, at 5:30 p.m., the suspect came up to a 56-year-old woman as she was shopping in front of a market located at 40-34 Main St. and removed her wallet from her bag containing cash and various cards.
- On March 2, at 2:30 p.m., the suspect approached a 65-year-old woman as she was shopping at the CJ Supermarket located at 40-33 Main St. and removed her wallet from her bag containing cash and various cards.
- On March 3, at 12 p.m., the suspect approached a 28-year-old woman as she was buying coffee at a Starbucks located at 38-05 Main St. and removed her iPhone 6 with a case containing various credit cards from her bag.
- On March 3, at 12:30 p.m., the suspect came up to a 41-year-old female victim as she was shopping at EW Studio located at 41-40 Kissena Blvd., and took her iPhone from her bag.
- On March 8, at 1 p.m., the suspect approached a 65-year-old woman as she was shopping at the CJ Supermarket located at 40-33 Main St., and removed her wallet from her bag containing cash and various cards.
Police describe the suspect as a Hispanic man in his 40s and have released a video from the Feb. 8 incident at J-Mart.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or can text their tips to CRIMES (274637), then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
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