Woman’s Boyfriend Arrested after Snatching Her Phone
A 37-year-old woman told police that at 8:55 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, she was waiting for the elevator at 229 W. 105th St., near Broadway, with her phone in her hand when her 36-year-old boyfriend started accusing her of infidelity. The boyfriend then snatched her phone and began to tussle with her on the floor, pushing and preventing her from recovering the device. He then fled westbound on West 105th Street toward Amsterdam Avenue with the phone. She called 911 using a public-link kiosk on Broadway, and police located the boyfriend in front of 2733 Broadway. As Raul Tavarez was arrested and charged with robbery, he was also found in possession of alleged crack cocaine. The value of the stolen iPhone amounted to $500.
Woman’s Acquaintance Assaults Her and Takes Her Phone
According to police, at 11:30 p.m. on Friday, March 21, a 25-year-old woman was walking out of her building at 201 W. 93rd St., near Amsterdam Avenue, when she got into a verbal dispute with an acquaintance. The acquaintance then struck her with a closed fist on the left side of her face. The victim said her phone fell out of her pocket, and the acquaintance picked the phone up off the ground, saying, “You’re not getting this back!” Police were unable to locate the suspect in the neighborhood. The stolen phone was a Motorola valued at $300.
Female Motorist Steals Phone from Other Driver after Accident
A 58-year-old man reported that at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 23, he got into a vehicular accident on Central Park West with a woman motorist. He got out of his car to exchange information with her when she took a hammer from the trunk of her vehicle and hit him in the right leg. She then snatched his phone from his hands, got back in her vehicle, and sped off southbound on Central Park West. The stolen iPhone was valued at $500.
Senior Victimized in DEA/FBI Drug Trafficking Phone Scam
An 82-year-old woman living on Columbus Avenue told police that at 8 a.m. on Monday, May 13, 2024, she got a phone call from someone claiming to be a DEA agent, saying that the FBI was investigating her for drug trafficking. To avoid arrest she was told to send money to clear up the issue with the FBI. Unfortunately, she complied, handing off sums of money to a man who arrived in front of her building on three separate occasions in subsequent months. She was later instructed to mail an additional $50,000 to someone named Karen Beth Barcklay in Virginia. In all, the woman got scammed out of $137,000 before realizing what had happened.
Young Woman Pickpocketed on Subway
Police reported that at 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 14, 2024, a 28-year-old woman was standing on the subway platform waiting for a northbound 1 train at the Broadway-96th Street station. The train arrived, and she encountered a man yelling and pushing her along with many others to get on the train. She had put her phone in her pocket before getting on the train, but at the next stop, West 103rd Street, she realized that her phone was missing and she must have been pickpocketed when jostled. Hours later she discovered that several of her financial accounts had been compromised, resulting in a loss of $983.