Police continue to search for a man who stole four wallets and purses from his victims in Flushing and later used their credit cards to buy MetroCards.
According to police, at 11:23 a.m. on March 15, a 51-year-old woman was inside 40-06 Main St. when an unknown man approached her from behind and took her wallet from her purse without her knowledge. The suspect then fled the scene in an unknown direction and later used the victim’s credit card to make a purchase on an MTA vending machine.
One week later on March 22, at 12:51 p.m. a 22-year-old woman was dining at the New World Mall, located at 136-20 Roosevelt Ave., with her purse hanging on the chair. The suspect, who was sitting behind the woman, reached into her purse and took her wallet, which contained $800 in cash and credit cards.
After taking the wallet, the suspect took off in an unknown direction. The thief then used the victim’s credit card to buy a MetroCard and make several other purchases.
The pattern continued on April 2 when a 38-year-old woman, who was inside 39-20 Main St. at 6:20 p.m., left her purse unattended. When she returned to her seat, she realized that her purse, which contained $40 in cash, was missing.
The fourth incident took place at 6 p.m. on April 12. According to police, a 30-year-old woman was inside 41-10 Main St. and she had her bag on a chair next to her. The suspect was able to remove her wallet without the victim realizing and used her credit card to several purchases, including purchasing a MetroCard.
The suspect is described as a black man between the ages of 50 and 60 years old.
Anyone with information in regards to these incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
