Man Cuffed For Pickpocketing UES Seniors In Grocery Stores: Cops

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — While seniors shopped for their groceries, he shopped for their wallets, police claim.

A man with a lengthy rap sheet was cuffed once again by officers on Thursday for pickpocketing seniors while they grocery shopped, officials said.

Robert Castillo, 61, was arrested and charged in connection to two thefts over the summer, police said.

"Our Field Intelligence Unit got to work identifying an unscrupulous thief after the lifelong criminal pickpocketed several seniors while they grocery shopped," read a post by the 19th Precinct on the website X, formerly known as Twitter.

Attenzione, Pickpocket!

Our Field Intelligence Unit got to work identifying an unscrupulous thief after the lifelong criminal pickpocketed several seniors while they grocery shopped. Working with our detective squad the suspect was identified, found, & arrested 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻! pic.twitter.com/0OVCZIdgw1
— NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) September 22, 2023

"Working with our detective squad the suspect was identified, found, & arrested again!" the post continued.

On August 22, Castillo stole a wallet was stolen from a 77-year-old woman inside of an upscale grocer, Citarella Gourmet Market, on Third Avenue at around 1 p.m., according to officials.

And almost exactly a month earlier on July 21, he stole another wallet from an 85-year-old man standing outside a Yorkville convenience store at 11 a.m., police said.

Officials added that Castillo has 35 prior arrests on his record for theft, criminal trespass, resisting arrest, theft of service, assault, burglary and robbery.

It is unclear how many of those arrests resulted in successful convictions.