Brian Hester was taking a smoke break on Barclay Street when he witnessed a man steal an iPhone straight out of a woman's hands Thursday.
Hester, a real estate broker and avid photographer, wasn't going to just stand by and do nothing, so he gave chase.
"All I was thinking was, 'Catch this guy,'" Hester said Friday.
Joined by other New Yorkers, Hester and the band of strangers caught up to the alleged thief on Broadway. They held him on the ground and Hester began taking video with his camera.
As they waited for police, the alleged thief decided to make a run for it, but Hester wasn't about to let him get away. He chased the man a second time and tackled the alleged crook right in the middle of Broadway.
Police came and arrested the man and the band of good Samaritans returned the iPhone to its owner.
Throughout the ordeal Hester continued to shoot video with his camera. He hopes that the video he took will serve as a warning to potential thiefs.
"I wanted to put the video out there to show anybody else who's thinking of coming to New York and snatching somebody's iPhone that you're not going to get away with that," said Hester.
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