An NYPD Crime Stoppers post labels a case as grand larceny.
The NYPD Crimestoppers post labels the case as grand larceny.
Other necklace-snatching incidents have been reported across the city this year. In June, police said they were searching for two unidentified individuals riding a moped who were linked to 12 necklace-snatching incidents across Brooklyn and Queens between April 1 and June 9, according to SILive. In one of those incidents, a suspect displayed a knife from his waistband before stealing a 37-year-old victim's necklace, the outlet reported, and separate incidents left a 46-year-old man and a 60-year-old man each with minor neck injuries.
A Pattern That Has Spanned Boroughs
Weeks later, a separate wave of daytime thefts hit Queens. Police said three necklace snatchings occurred within less than two hours on June 24, according to Shore News Network, with the robberies occurring within the 103rd and 113th precincts as part of a broader pattern spanning the 103rd, 108th, 110th and 113th precincts. In one of those June incidents, a 65-year-old woman suffered minor neck injuries after two necklaces were forcibly removed from her neck, the outlet reported.
A reported necklace-theft spree beginning April 28 and continuing through early May involved victims between 15 and 20 years old near or on the 4 and 7 subway lines, per Audacy/1010 WINS.
What the Law Says About Grand Larceny
New York's Penal Law Article 155 governs larceny offenses, laying out definitions, available defenses, how the value of stolen property is assessed, and the distinctions between petit larceny and grand larceny in the fourth and third degrees, according to the New York State Senate. It remains unclear which degree would apply in the October 2 case, since the value of the stolen necklaces has not been disclosed.
It is not known whether the theft near Manhattan Avenue and West 113th Street is connected to any of the earlier reported patterns across Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan or the Bronx. For now, the NYPD is treating it as its own open case and continuing to ask the public for leads through its tip lines.
