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Crook steals more than $800 in jewelry, credit cards, from 7 train rider in Long Island City: NYPD

Cops are looking for this smoker who allegedly stole a wallet and more than $800 from a woman waiting for a 7 train at the Queensboro Plaza subway station more than a week ago before making purchases with her credit cards in Astoria. NYPD

May 28, 2024 By Bil Parry

Police from the 108th Precinct in Long Island City and Transit District 20 are looking for a man who stole a wallet and jewelry from a woman as she waited for the 7 train at the Queensboro Plaza subway station on the night of Sunday, May 19.

The 25-year-old victim was holding a laundry basket while sitting on a bench inside the station at around 9 p.m., waiting on the Flushing-bound platform, when a stranger approached and sat down next to her.

While her attention was averted, the suspect reached into her laundry basket and removed a wallet containing her credit cards and jewelry.

The perpetrator exited the station in an unknown direction. The jewelry was valued at an estimated $810, according to an NYPD spokeswoman. The crook used the stolen credit cards to make unauthorized purchases at commercial establishments in the confines of the 114th Precinct in Astoria.

The NYPD spokeswoman could not say what was purchased with the stolen credit cards, stating that detectives would determine this as part of the ongoing grand larceny investigation.

The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect on Monday and described him as having short black hair, 5’6” tall, 140 pounds, and approximately 25 years old. He was last seen smoking a cigarette outside the station, wearing all black clothing and black sneakers.

Anyone with information regarding 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 crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

Through May 26, the 108th Precinct has reported 288 grand larceny cases so far in 2024, 5 fewer than the 293 reported at the same point last year, a decline of 1.7%, according to the most recent CompStat report.