Headphone Snatchers On Bikes Target AirPod Maxes, Police Say

MANHATTAN, NY — Police are searching for a group of suspects on Citi Bikes who have been snatching people's Apple AirPod Max headphones off their heads in Manhattan, New York City Police Department officials said on Thursday.

According to the NYPD, the group forcibly took headphones from seven different people on March 17, ranging from Central Park, Harlem, Upper East Side, and the West Village.

In the first incident, the group of suspects on bicycles snatched headphones from a 31-year-old woman's head in front of 1 Jane St. at 4:15 p.m. before biking off, police said.

Less than 15 minutes later, the group snatched headphones from a 26-year-old's head at Jane Street and Greenwich Avenue before biking off, authorities said.

The next connected incident happened at 5:50 p.m. when the group approached a 41-year-old man in the vicinity of West 124th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard in Harlem and snatched headphones from his head before biking away to their next victim, police said.

The group stayed in Harlem and at 6:20 grabbed headphones from a 33-year-old woman's head near the corner of West 119th Street and Manhattan Avenue, according to the NYPD.

Then, 20 minutes later, the group snatched headphones from a 22-year-old woman in Central Park, near 103rd Street and West Drive, before continuing to make their way to the Upper East Side, police said.

On the Upper East Side just before 7 p.m., the group lifted headphones from a 27-year-old woman's head near East 73rd Street and Third Avenue before biking off, cops said.

Then, at 7 p.m., the biking suspects took headphones from a 31-year-old man's head near 81st Street and Third Avenue, police said.

In each of these incidents, no injuries were reported, police said.

Police are still investigating the headphone-snatching spree and have not made any arrests yet, but have released surveillance photos of the suspects, which are on Citibikes.

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

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.

This is a developing story and may be updated. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.