Police from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst are investigating a grand larceny case in which a 73-year-old woman fell victim to a trickster in broad daylight on the afternoon of Friday, May 17.
The victim was walking with the aid of her cane in the vicinity of Gorsline Street and Kneeland Avenue near the Long Island Rail Road tracks when an SUV pulled up alongside her and a woman in the back seat engaged her in a conversation. Surveillance video shows the woman exiting the vehicle and approaching the senior and then placing jewelry around her neck. While the victim was distracted, the stranger removed the woman’s necklace and bracelet, valued at approximately $2,250, police said. The woman got back into the black Chevrolet Equinox SUV as her accomplice sped from the crime scene northbound on Gorsline Street towards Queens Boulevard. The woman was not harmed during the incident.
The NYPD released surveillance images that captured the suspect in the SUV and then engaging in conversation with the senior before pulling the heist. The suspect is described as having a light complexion. She was last seen wearing a gray sweater and long blue skirt and carrying a brown bag.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.
Through May 26, the 110th Precinct has reported 401 grand larcenies so far in 2024, 36 more than the 365 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 9.9%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
