Police on Friday said they were looking for a man who snatched iPhones from multiple women on the R train in a series of incidents in Manhattan, and another who broke into a Staten Island church several times and stole nearly $10,000 in property.
According to the NYPD, the first of the subway incidents happened on Dec. 14, when the man approached a 42-year-old woman on a northbound R train around 7:30 a.m. When the train stopped at 57th Street and 7th Avenue, police said, the suspect grabbed her phone from her hand and ran away onto the platform.
He allegedly stole another phone from a 27-year-old woman on a southbound R train at the Prince Street station around 8 a.m. on Dec. 20. Police said he did so again with a 37-year-old woman on a northbound R train at 59th Street and 5th Avenue around 7 a.m. on Feb. 3.
None of the victims were injured, according to the NYPD. Surveillance footage shows the man was wearing an orange-and-black The North Face puffer jacket around the time of the incidents.
Police say they're looking for a man who has been stealing women's iPhones on the R train in Manhattan.
Staten Island church burglaries
NYPD officials said the Staten Island church burglaries started on Dec. 11, when a man broke a locked rear door around 10 p.m. and entered the Celestial Church of Christ on Canal Street in Stapleton Heights. Once inside, he allegedly stole electronics worth $4,000 and then ran away.
Police said the same man broke into the church again around 1 a.m. on Jan. 28, stealing about $1,200 worth of music equipment. Two days later, around 11 p.m. on Jan. 30, he struck again and stole cleaning supplies and more music equipment valued at about $4,000, the NYPD said.
Surveillance footage released by police shows him walking down a sidewalk in a black jacket with a red shopping cart filled with black garbage bags. Officials said no injuries were reported in the incidents.
A man is being sought in connection with repeated burglaries of the Celestial Church of Christ in Staten Island, according to the NYPD.
NYPD data shows robberies and burglaries are down citywide so far this year compared to last year. By this time in 2024, 54 robberies had been reported in transit, whereas there have been 29 this year, according to police.
But in Staten Island, both types of crime have increased significantly this year. Robberies have jumped 27% above the same period last year, while burglaries nearly tripled, to 50, the data shows.
The NYPD asked anyone with information about the incidents to call the department’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted via the Crime Stoppers website.
This is a developing story based on preliminary information from the NYPD and may be updated.
