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Mounted cops in Bayside help catch a neighborhood package thief following pursuit

111th package thief
Photo via Twitter/@NYPD111Pct

Talk about old-school police work.

A local man allegedly caught stealing a package in Bayside was arrested on Tuesday afternoon after leading NYPD officers — on foot and horseback — on a pursuit through the neighborhood.

Ben Johnson, 19, was arrested at the corner of 215th Place and 38th Avenue on March 27 and charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, according to law enforcement sources. The Bayside resident had no prior arrests.

On March 27 at around 12:40 p.m., police said, the 111th Precinct received reports of a man seen in the vicinity of 213th Street and 36th Avenue stealing a UPS package.

Upon further investigation, officers observed Johnson in the area and pursed him on foot. The precinct’s mounted unit also responded to the scene.

The pursuit ended at 215th Place, in the vicinity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, where Johnson was placed under arrest.

After some residents took to social media to voice concerns with the police activity in the area, authorities at the 111th Precinct Tweeted about the arrest.