New York City police are warning residents across the city after a string of chain snatchings, and they are appealing to the public for help in tracking down two suspects who have been targeting people on the street. Investigators are hoping that surveillance video of the pair will lead to their identification, as the robberies have piled up over several weeks in neighborhoods where victims never saw the theft coming.
According to police, the two suspects have been linked to at least 29 robberies and attempted robberies across the city since June 15. That total points to a persistent pattern rather than isolated incidents, and it has prompted officers to publicize the case in the hope that residents will recognize the people responsible or come forward with information that can help bring the spree to an end.
The surveillance footage released by police shows the method the pair have used. The video captures two masked people riding a moped, and in one clip the person on the back gets off the vehicle and walks toward someone on the sidewalk before the robbery takes place. The moped has given the suspects a fast way to approach victims and then flee the scene, complicating efforts to catch them in the act.
Several of the reported cases have been concentrated in Brooklyn. Police say robberies were reported in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, including along Manhattan Avenue, Meeker Avenue, Java Street and Grand Street, a cluster of busy streets where people walking alone have been targeted. The locations span a stretch of the borough where foot traffic is heavy throughout the day.
One of the most recent incidents happened near Bedford Avenue and North 12th Street, where police say a 39-year-old man had his chain snatched last week. That case, in the heart of a busy Brooklyn neighborhood, was one of the latest in the series and helped underscore for investigators that the pattern was continuing rather than tapering off.
The timing and the range of victims have stood out to police. The robberies have happened during the day, from around noon into the late afternoon, rather than under cover of darkness. Officials say the victims have ranged in age from 14 to 80 years old, a span that shows the suspects have not focused on any single type of target. Despite the number of incidents, police say there have been no injuries reported.
For residents in the affected areas, the warning has been a reminder to stay alert even in familiar surroundings. One person who lives nearby said the news did not entirely surprise them in a city as large as New York, but added that staying careful and aware generally keeps people safe. Police are asking that anyone who recognizes the two suspects seen in the video, or the moped they are riding, contact the Crime Stoppers hotline.