Thursday, May 19, 2011

☞ READ: City Thieves Still Want Your iPhone BTW

We have written a couple of articles on iphone thefts in the neighborhood and in the city as a larger crime trend but it appear that one reader did not see them as the below comment received yesterday reveals:

"...apparently the iphone theft is still going on. Mine was snatched out of my hand as I walked (texting) at 115th Street & 5th Avenue. The police did catch one of the three that were in on it together. I ran after the one who snatched my phone, made a lot of noise and yelled repeatedly for someone to call the police. Lots of police cars showed up and at least they caught one. We need to be vigilant and proactive, these thugs must be shutdown."

For those not quite sure that iPhone theft is all that prevalent in the greater city, check out the list of articles below:

A common theft method is to swipe an iPhone while riding a bike which is popular in the nice residential neighborhoods of Brooklyn: LINK

For those who think the East Village and Lower East Side still doesn't have an edge to it: LINK

Subway iPhone snatching is the latest trend as this Gothamist article reveals: LINK

A Battery Park iPhone theft case on a playground and possibly at the subway: LINK

An Upper West Side case at a Starbucks: LINK

Even the serene campus of Columbia University has been hit hard by iPhone incidents: LINK

Our first post from last fall that received the most recent comment can be found here: LINK

12 comments:

  1. The general rule here is to stop showing off your iPhone while walking around or on the subway.

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  2. Good to hear no one was hurt and one of the thieves is in the hands of the police, I hope he gives up his friends and they get they all maximum punishment. Good sentiment, we need to be vigilant and proactive, these thugs must be shutdown.

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  3. Hell, I’VE been tempted to bonk people who walk around texting or talking on their phones over the head just because they are so bloody annoying. Pay attention to your surroundings, if you’re with a child pay attention to the child. If you must talk or text do the pedestrian equivalent of pulling to the side of the road. Problem solved with common sense.

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  4. Quite right, SM. Most people can't handle texting and walking at the same time. Just pull over!

    Or better yet, wait until you are off the streets to send your oh-so-important text... that way you won't risk getting your phone snatched.

    I once had an iPod taken *out of my pocket* as I was going through a turnstile... it wasn't even out and visible. People need to be more serious about this.

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  5. I’ve had iPhones and iPods taken from bags on the back of my son’s wheelchair while I carried him inside. More than once.

    THAT’S cold.

    Now I take the bags in and leave the kid outside.

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  6. @Sanou's Mum....terrible but true! I have caught myself doing the same until that guy snatched a baby out of a stroller at Marcus Garvey last year...to get $$$ from the mom.

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  7. I pity the fool who tries to snatch a 19-year-old boy from a wheelchair. Hell, there are times I would pay someone to snatch him.

    Just jokin’, whatever agencies might be reading this, just jokin’.

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  8. SM you hit the nail on the head, I cannot tell you how many times I am walking from the subway and there is some person, usually a woman (not a sexist comment just an observation) yakking on or texting and not even paying attention in front or behind them. I had a girl walk right into my dog the other day and then get pissed with me and the dog...simply priceless.

    People if it is in your pocket the chances of it being snatched are vastly reduced. Get a headset, pay attention and for goodness sakes.

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  9. I’ve seen young women walking down the street gabbing away at the top of their lungs with toddler aged children behind them halfway down the block. Apart from real safety concerns hey—children pick up their language skills from parents. Talk to them, not the entire neighbourhood about your personal business which is what happens when one is bellowing into a phone.

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  10. To all the people who are bashing texters... The point of iPhones is that they're MOBILE... Sometimes you just gotta do two things at once - it's just the typical hectic life in New York that pulls you in 5 directions at the same time. By texting and walking I get a few more minutes in my day... To relax...

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  11. Beating, I'm not bashing texters, I too text every now and again, but when you see the same folks everyday doing the same thing with no regard for their surroundings it does make one wonder what they are thinking.

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  12. I see folks texting away as they cross the street, completely oblivious to cars, lights & pedestrians.It's sad that some folks need "company" to get from Point A to Point B

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