A moped-riding chain-snatcher, who is wanted in a grand larceny investigation in the confines of the 104th Precinct in Ridgewood, and another incident in Brooklyn, over two consecutive days and nearly four miles apart last month.
A 65-year-old man was walking near the railroad overpass at the intersection of Cypress Hill Street and Otto Road on the night of Friday, Sept. 19, when the suspect rode up alongside him and forcibly removed chains from his neck, police said. The alleged perpetrator sped away from the scene on a dark-colored moped toward Myrtle Avenue. The value of the stolen silver and gold chains was approximately $7,200. The victim was not injured during the encounter.
Investigators believe the same suspect targeted another senior a day earlier in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The 70-year-old victim was walking near the intersection of Bayard Street and McGuinness Boulevard at around 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18, when he was approached from behind by the chain-snatcher riding the same dark-colored moped and grabbed his gold necklace from his neck, police from the 94th Precinct reported. The suspect rode off with the chain, which is worth approximately $1,000. The victim was not injured.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect and described him as having a medium complexion and around 20 to 25 years of age. He was last seen wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, white sneakers and a black delivery backpack.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents 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.org or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are confidential.
Through Sept. 28, the 104th Precinct has reported 511 grand larcenies so far in 2025, 19 more than the 492 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 3.9%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
