Things have been pretty slow during the pandemic, but last night I was the victim of a felony. Not as scary as it sounds, though! I went to the pharmacy half a block away to pick up a prescription. As I walked in the door, there was a guy right behind me who seemed to brush up against the bum bag I had over my shoulder. When I got inside, I looked inside my bag, and my wallet wasn’t there. I immediately went home and it wasn’t there either. So I called 911 and asked for the police to meet me at the store.
Fortunately, this was a wallet that I keep just cash, two credit cards, and my debit card in. I called the bank and the other credit card company while I was waiting. It turned out the thief had used one card at a McDonald’s a block away after he left, and I was even able to tell the cops what time. Here’s the best part. I hadn’t really seen the guy other than a rough impression, but the store security guard had a clear image of him, including his face, on the security camera. When the police came, a very nice young man and woman, the security guard was able to send the image directly over to the precinct. Then they drove me over to fill out a report and talk to a detective. It turns out that in NY, pickpocketing is a felony if it involves credit cards, 4th degree grand larceny. They said an ADA would contact me and I’d be eligible for victim restitution, and could attend the trial if there is one.
The NYPD almost always catches perpetrators they have an image of. They caught two that stole stuff from my apartment building in the last few years. There was one dramatic arrest some years ago of a man who’d been horribly attacking elderly Asian people in public housing. They had photos of him from elevator security cameras. They alerted bus and train companies leaving the city and did a dramatic arrest that involved pulling over a bus on the NJ Turnpike where they found him asleep.