NYC Wallet Snatchers Target Men In Cars, Police Say

NEW YORK CITY — Police are looking for a group of teenagers responsible for a string of wallet thefts that targeted people in cars in Midtown, Upper East Side and East Harlem, New York City Police Department officials said.

In seven different incidents in the past seven weeks, the teens made off with wallets, debit and credit cards, cash, and one cellphone, authorities said.

In the first incident, on Jan. 21 at 10:35 p.m. in East Harlem, two people approached a 30-year-old sitting in his car, sprayed an unknown substance in his face, and took $1,500 and a debit card from the victim before running away. The victim was treated on the scene, authorities said.

Then, on Feb. 9 at 12:45 a.m. in East Harlem, the same two people took a wallet with a credit card from a 64-year-old man sitting in his car before running away, police said.

Later that week, on Feb. 13, one of the two previous perpetrators attempted to take a 31-year-old's wallet from the center console of his car at 3:15 p.m. on the Upper East Side, but the victim managed to grab his wallet back, and the suspect ran away, police said.

In a fourth incident, on Feb. 17 at 4 a.m. in East Harlem near East 118th Street and Fifth Avenue, the two reached into the center console of a vehicle and stole a 36-year-old man's wallet, which contained a debit and credit card, before running off, police said.

That Friday, Feb. 21, at 10:49 p.m. on Sixth Avenue in the Midtown North Precinct, the two perpetrators were joined by a third teen to push a 48-year-old man and take his wallet from the center console of his car, before using the victim's credit card at the Forever 21 store in Times Square, cops said.

The following week, on Feb. 28 at 9:26 p.m. near West 45th Street and Ninth Avenue, the trio forcibly removed a cellphone from a 67-year-old man before running away, according to the NYPD.

That same day, at 9:49 p.m. near West 44th Street and Ninth Avenue, the trio — joined by one more perpetrator — took a 23-year-old man's wallet from his car, which contained $100 in cash along with three credit cards and two debit cards. Then, the group made purchases at a Target store on 10th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, police said.

No one was seriously injured in any of the incidents, police said.

Police are looking for the suspects — three teen girls and one teen boy — who are all believed to be between 17 and 19 years old. The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made yet, police said.

Police said that anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, in Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.