Man Steals Bikes Near Columbia Campus, Police Say

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, NY — The NYPD is trying to identify a man who is stealing bicycles near Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus, police said.

The bike thief is wanted in connection with three robberies this year, police said. The thefts began in January and continued into the summer months, police said.

The first bike theft occurred in front of the William and June Warren building on Amsterdam Avenue between West 115th and 116th street on Jan. 23, police said. A 46-year-old deliveryman left his bike unattended in front of the building when the bike thief approached the bike and rode off with it, police said.

The bike thief struck again at the same building on June 18, police said. This time the bike was secured with a lock, but that didn't prevent the thief from stealing the two-wheeler. Both bikes were valued at $1,400, police said.

The third robbery occurred on the morning of Aug. 15 in front of a building on Amsterdam Avenue and West 118th Street, police said. The bike thief again approached an unattended bicycle, stole the vehicle and fled the crime scene on the stolen property.

The suspect is described as a man in his 40s or 50s. He was last seen wearing a green short sleeve shirt and light blue shorts, police said.

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

Photo by NYPD