Purse Switch Con and Park Place Burglary: Police Blotter

The following information was supplied by the 77th Precinct of the NYPD. It does not indicate a conviction. 

Purse Switcheroo

A thief stole a woman's pocketbook through a clever switcheroo involving multiple victims.

One of the victims, a 26-year-old woman, told cops she was at The Crown Inn, 724 Franklin Ave., at about 9 p.m. on May 11 when a woman bumped into her. The woman said, "I'm sorry but your bag is fine." After the thief left, the victim noticed that the handbag she was holding wasn't hers. It was later discovered that the bag had been stolen from another woman at another bar. 

The victim lost $1,137 in good including an iPhone 5, a Hobo wallet, a copy of the "The 10th of December" by George Saunders, a moleskin journal and a set of keys. 

Burglary on Park Place

A thief broke into a Prospect Place apartment, making off with $3,500 worth of electronics and other items.

The 29-year-old victim told cops that she left the apartment, located between Vanderbilt and Underhill,  for the weekend on April 26. When she got back a few days later, she found that someone got in through a back window and stole a 17-inch MacBook Pro laptop and a Prada wallet.

Returns to Crime Scene—And Gets Caught

A 39-year-old woman had her $700 Trek mountain bike stolen from the basement of her St. Marks Avenue building, located between Vanderbilt and Underhill. 

The woman noticed that the bike was gone on April 24, but didn't report it to the police. On April 30, the victim saw a woman she didn't recognize taking another bike from the basement. The woman said something and the possible bike thief dropped the bike and ran off. 

 Car Theft

A car was stolen from Sterling Place between Franklin and Bedford. The 36-year-old owner discovered the car missing on June 21 and broken glass on the street where the car had been parked.