West Village Thieves Targeting Unattended Cell Phones: NYPD

WEST VILLAGE, NY — A trio of marauding thieves are targeting patrons who leave items on the tables of West Village eateries and swiping them once their owners' backs are turned, officials said on Sunday.

Police say the group has struck two businesses near Seventh Avenue between West Fourth Street and Bleecker Street.

On Feb. 11, the trio first struck a Five Guys restaurant on the corner of Bleecker and Seventh Avenue at about 1 a.m., police said. The sticky-fingered group carefully watched their victims, who had left a wallet and two cellphones on a table, and waited for the unsuspecting diners to turn their backs before stealing the items and fleeing north on Seventh Avenue, police said.

Officials claim that two of the same thieves went by the same playbook the next day at about 12:40 a.m. inside nearby bar, The Spaniard, on West Fourth and Barrow Streets.

The duo made off with a 27-year-old's iPhone without her noticing, officials said.

Police released surveillance stills from inside the Five Guys eatery of individuals they claim are connected to the incidents.

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).