Crime & Safety
Trio Of Thieves Target Upper East Side Madison Ave Lux Shop: Police
The robbers targeted a new Versace shop on Independence Day, stealing over $31,000 in goods, officials said.
UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — One third of a crooked trio who robbed a luxury Madison Avenue shop on the fourth of July ended up celebrating Independence Day from inside a jail cell.
Brian Purcell, 44, was arrested and charged with theft after he and two partners in crime targeted a Versace store on Madison Avenue and made off with tens of thousands in goods, according to police.
At about 3 p.m., the trio entered the high-end store and grabbed jewels and handbags from displace cases — totaling over $31,000, officials said.
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As they fled, Purcell was nabbed by responding officers and was later charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, according to police.
The other two suspected crooks are still on the loose, and police officials did not have a description or images to release as of Thursday morning.
Find out what's happening in Upper East Sidefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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).
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