Chelsea Serial Purse Snatch Suspect Nabbed, 2 Others At Large: NYPD

CHELSEA, NY - A moped-riding suspect linked to nearly two dozen purse and wallet grabs last month has been arrested, authorities said.

Jamari Johnson, 21, of the Bronx, was charged on Oct. 28 with robbery and grand larceny in connection with nearly two dozen purse snatch incidents between Oct. 2 to Oct. 22, police said. According to an NYPD spokesperson, at least two suspects remain at large.

The 23 robberies occurred in Chelsea, East Village, Midtown and the Upper East Side, police said. All the victims were women.

Johnson was involved in the newly reported Midtown mugging — plus at least eight others, police said.

The investigation remains ongoing, police said.

The crime spree began in the Flatiron District, according to police, when the duo snatched a 29-year-old woman’s wallet near East 23rd Street and Park Avenue on Oct. 2 about 12:35 p.m., police said.

On Oct. 8 at about 1:50 p.m., the duo grabbed a 62-year-old woman’s handbag near West 29 Street and Ninth Avenue, police said. A third Chelsea incident was reported on Oct. 15, when a 44-year-old woman saw her purse snatched near 244 West 29 St. about 1:25 p.m.

The latest reported incident came on Oct. 22 about 12:51 p.m., when a 25-year-old saw her purse snatched by the moped riders near 29th Street and Lexington Avenue, police said.

When first reported, police released images of two people they say are connected to the incidents, showing two men on a black and blue moped.

Anyone with information in regard to the 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).