Thief swiping phones out of the hands of subway riders in Queens

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Subway thief swiping phones from riders
Josh Einiger reports on the subway phone thefts in Queens.

JAMAICA, Queens (WABC) -- Police are searching for a thief who has been stealing phones right out of the hands of subway riders in Queens.

The NYPD says the suspect struck at least four times between April 18 and May 1, each time targeting passengers on the F train in Jamaica.

In all four incidents, when the train stopped in the station and the train doors opened, the man snatched the phone from the victim's hands and fled the scene. Each phone was worth $800 - $900.

No injuries were reported.

The NYPD describes the suspect as a black male in his 20's, approximately 5'10" tall and 175 lbs., last seen wearing a black jacket, black knapsack and blue jeans.

Anyone with information in regards 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). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

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