A woman’s morning at a Woodhaven spa was spoiled by a Crocs-wearing purse snatcher who ran off with hundreds of dollars in cash when he grabbed her handbag while her attention was momentarily diverted last month.
Police from the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill reported that the 41-year-old victim was inside the Body Glow Luxury Salon at 94-09 Jamaica Ave. at around 9:20 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23, when the perpetrator removed the victim’s handbag that she had left unattended on a chair. The suspect fled eastbound on Jamaica Avenue toward 102nd Street. The purse contained $773 in cash, along with her identification, insurance card and credit cards, police said, adding that the woman was not injured during the incident.
The NYPD released a surveillance image of the suspect and described him as having a medium complexion with a slim build who wore a black sweatshirt with a logo for the Chucky horror movies, black sweatpants and gray Crocs.
Anyone with information regarding this grand larceny investigation 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 Nov. 9, the 102nd Precinct has reported 300 grand larcenies so far in 2025, nine fewer than the 309 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 2.9%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
