Bike-Riding Thief Snatches Purses From Women In Brooklyn, Cops Say

BROOKLYN, NY — A bike-riding thief has been snatching women's purses throughout Central Brooklyn, according to police.

A man — who sometimes rides with a friend — has grabbed four purses from his bike in Crown Heights, Fort Greene, Williamsburg and Downtown Brooklyn since late June, including three robberies in a single day, according to police.

In the most recent spree, the man started around 2:45 a.m. on July 1 on Graham Avenue, where he and another person on the bike grabbed a 26-year-old woman's purse, police said. The purse had cash, credit and debit cards, a cellphone and other electronic items valued at $460, police said.

Hours later, the man — this time acting alone — grabbed a 30-year-old woman's purse near Fulton Street and Carlton Avenue in Fort Greene around 11:20 p.m., police said. The woman was knocked down during the robbery but didn't require medical attention, police said.

The man then snatched a 28-year-old woman's purse near Classon Avenue and Dean Street in Crown Heights just ten minutes later at 11:30 p.m., police said. The contents of that purse was worth $1,000, police said.

The man was also connected to a robbery on June 28, when he grabbed a 28-year-old woman's purse on Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn, police said

Anyone with information 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 online. All calls are strictly confidential.