NYPD detectives are seeking an individual accused of stealing jewelry from an elderly woman in broad daylight near Manhattan Avenue and West 113th Street.
NEW YORK, NY – A 79-year-old woman was sitting behind the wheel of her car in Manhattan when a person on a bicycle approached and snatched two necklaces from her neck, according to the NYPD. The thief then rode away, leaving the woman without her jewelry in a daytime theft now under investigation.
The incident occurred Friday, October 2, at approximately 2:46 p.m. near Manhattan Avenue and West 113th Street in the Morningside Heights area of Manhattan. Police said the unidentified individual approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and removed the necklaces without the woman’s permission.
The victim was not reported injured. NYPD Crime Stoppers has since circulated a public appeal seeking information about the person responsible, asking anyone who can help identify the individual to contact investigators.
Elderly Woman Targeted While Sitting Behind the Wheel
According to the NYPD Crime Stoppers announcement, the woman was seated in the driver’s seat when the bicycle rider approached her vehicle.
The individual reached toward the victim and removed two necklaces from around her neck.
Police classified the incident as grand larceny.
After taking the jewelry, the person fled the intersection on the bicycle. Investigators have not disclosed which direction the individual traveled or whether anyone witnessed the encounter.
The department also did not describe the stolen necklaces, provide an estimated value or say whether the jewelry had been recovered.
The victim’s identity was not released in the public alert.
NYPD Seeks Bicycle Rider in Manhattan Jewelry Theft
The NYPD is asking the public to help identify the individual sought in connection with the October 2 incident.
The Crime Stoppers alert was circulated more than three weeks after the theft. It identifies the person as an unidentified individual who approached the woman on a bicycle.
Police have not announced an arrest in the information provided.
The incident happened during the afternoon, while the victim was sitting inside her vehicle rather than walking along the sidewalk.
Investigators did not indicate whether the person had followed the woman beforehand or approached her opportunistically.
Those circumstances remain unknown, and police have not publicly identified a motive beyond the alleged theft of the necklaces.
Police Ask Public for Tips in Grand Larceny Case
Anyone who recognizes the individual or has information about the theft can contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
Tips can also be submitted through direct messages to the department’s NYPD Crime Stoppers Facebook account.
Police have not announced charges against anyone in connection with the case. The investigation remains open as detectives seek to identify the bicycle rider.
Although the victim escaped without reported injuries, the incident involved the theft of jewelry directly from the neck of a 79-year-old woman who was seated in her car.