Suspect (NYPD)
June 6, 2019 By Christian Murray
Police are looking for a man who has been snatching gold chains and necklaces from female riders on the 7 train.
The thief is wanted for six incidents, with two of them in Sunnyside and one in Woodside, according to police.
The most recent theft took place on May 31 at around 6:24 p.m., when the suspect snatched a chain off a female rider’s neck on a Manhattan-bound 7 train at the 40th Street station. The suspect then fled the train and exited the 40th Street station in an unknown direction.
Suspect (NYPD)
The second incident took place just minutes prior—at around 6:20 p.m. On this occasion, the suspect ripped a chain off the neck of a 21-year-old woman on a Flushing-Main Street bound train at the Woodside/61st station. He then fled the train at the station.
Eight days earlier, on May 23, the suspect ripped a chain off the neck of a 42-year-old woman as the train was approaching the 46th Street station at around 3:35 p.m. The suspect then fled the station.
These three incidents came after a series of similar thefts on the 7 train that took place in Manhattan.
On May 11, at around 1:40 p.m., the suspect snatched a 49-year-old woman’s necklace while she was sitting on a 7 train when the doors opened at the 5th Avenue- Bryant Park stop. The suspect then exited the train.
The suspect targeted a 46-year-old woman on May 6, when he snatched the victim’s necklace at around 2:20 p.m. when the doors opened at the 5th Avenue- Bryant Park stop.
The first incident in the pattern took place on April 24 at around 1:50 p.m. when a 30-year-old woman’s gold necklace was snatched when the doors opened at the 5th Avenue- Bryant Park stop. The victim followed the perpetrator after the theft in an attempt to recover her property. They argued and the man fled.
The suspect is described as black, between 40 and 50 years old and was last seen wearing a long-sleeved dress shirt, dark jeans and dark colored sneakers with white soles.
Surveillance video and photos of the suspect have been released by police.
Anyone with information on the case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-8477, or text CRIMES and then enter TIP577, or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
