Scooter-Riding Thief Tries To Get Reward For Bag He Stole In BK: Cops

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A scooter-riding thief who snagged a tech-filled backpack from a sleeping straphanger in Brooklyn later tried to get a reward for its return, according to police.

The man — who appeared to have a broken leg or foot — wheeled away with the backpack after grabbing it off a 29-year-old man who had fallen asleep at the Utica Avenue subway station platform just before 2 a.m. last Friday in Crown Heights, police said.

The backpack was filled with more than $2,000 of gadgets, including a MacBook Pro, AirPods, an iPad mini and $200 in cash, police said.

But it wasn't until the sleeping straphanger took a 4 train all the way to Woodlawn Station in the Bronx that he discovered the bag was missing, police said.

The thief later called the man and demanded a reward for the return of the backpack, but the 29-year-old was never reunited with his property, police said.

Anyone with information in regard to this 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). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.