Police are looking for a stealthy credit card thief they say targeted women in Manhattan five times last month, including twice in 40 minutes after he was kicked out of a theater for trying to access an employee-only area.
The most recent theft was June 21 around noon at the Signature Theatre on West 42nd Street. Police say the suspect went to the second floor and broke the lid of a donation box and stole some cash, then jacked a 32-year-old woman's credit card from her wallet on the way out.
Five days earlier, cops say he stole credit cards and cash from the wallets of two 35-year-old women at a commercial building on Church Street.
On June 12, shortly before 4 p.m., police say the man walked into a clothing boutique on Broadway and stole two credit cards from a 22-year-old woman there, which he used to make $651 in unauthorized purchases.
The other three cases linked to the pattern were all on June 2. First, the man walked into a commercial building on Broadway and stole a credit card and cash from a 26-year-old woman's purse. Just 3 minutes later, police say he walked into the Public Theater on Lafayette Avenue and tried to get into an employee-only area. A staff member confronted him and security escorted him out.
Less than 30 minutes later, police say he went into a building on Astor Place and stole a 33-year-old woman's credit card from her wallet.
Authorities released surveillance video of the suspect, dressed in a blue collared shirt with rolled up sleeves, from one of the June 2 thefts. Anyone with information about him is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
