DNA Catches Queens Serial Shoplifter Who Stole $170K In Jewelry: DA

QUEENS, NY — DNA from a sweaty hat helped nab a serial shoplifter who stole $170,000 worth of jewelry across Queens, prosecutors said.

Aaron Smalls, 39, is being held without bail after arraignments last week on robbery and grand larceny charges in two separate criminal complaints from a years-long spate of thefts, court records show.

"The defendant is accused of preying upon local jewelry stores by committing brazen thefts that go back to 2021," said Melinda Katz, district attorney for Queens, in a statement.

Smalls, a Staten Island resident, is accused of stealing jewelry from six jewelry shops scattered across Queens.

He used a simple tactic in his thefts: ask to see an experience piece of jewelry, then dash off with it in hand, prosecutors said.

Smalls mostly scored gold chains, including a $20,000 piece with a large Jesus pendant, by this ask-and-dash method in thefts between December 2023 and February, authorities said.

Investigators also tied Smalls to the 2021 theft of 25 gold chains worth $120,000 from a Rego Park jewelry store through DNA, officials said.

The DNA — which matched Smalls — was recovered from a sweat-stained the thief left behind after he dashed from the store, prosecutors said.

Cops arrested Small last week in a motel off Queens Boulevard, authorities said.

He faces up to 15 years in prison, if convicted.