Thief Targets M15 Bus Riders, Police Say

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The NYPD is trying to identify a thief who has targeted rider of an east side bus route, police said.

Multiple passengers of the M15 bus — which goes up and down along the east side of Manhattan on First and Second avenues — have had their belongings stolen while riding the bus, police said. The thief is using the stolen credit and debit cards to make illegal purchases and cash withdrawals, police said.

The first robbery occurred on Jan. 10 when a 31-year-old woman who rides the M15 to work noticed her wallet was missing from inside her purse, police said. The victim's stolen debit card and identification was used to withdraw $1,500 from her bank account at a Chase Branch on York Avenue and West 68th Street.

The second theft occurred on Feb. 26 when a woman riding the bus noticed her wallet was missing after exiting at 92nd Street, police said. The woman's cards were used to withdraw $4,000 at a TD Bank on East 96th Street and Third Avenue and $1,700 from a TD Bank located in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, police said.

In march, another woman's stolen belongings were used to withdraw $7,300 from a Chase Bank in Forest Hills, Queens, police said.

The suspect is described as a woman with long blonde hair who was last seen wearing a black hat, black jacket and a black and white scarf. Police recently released a photo (seen above) of the suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Photo by NYPD