NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — An ongoing spree of robberies in Queens and lower Manhattan that involve a team riding on a moped or Citi bike and grabbing Apple headphones off of pedestrians has at least 20 reported incidents, police told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880.
The masked and hooded thieves are targeting victims walking with the $549 Apple Airpod Max headphones. Sources said that the suspects follow the victim, jump the curb, take the gear off the victim’s head and drive away on their vehicle.
If the team are on a moped, the snatcher sits in the back; if on a Citi bike, the snatcher sits in the front basket, sources said.
Police are also linking the pattern to another incident that could be related: the September theft of motorized scooter.
The duo are working in the Queens neighborhoods of Astoria, Long Island City and Forest Hills, though some robberies, including three on Jan. 11, have taken place in lower Manhattan. Those incidents occurred in the Lower East Side and West Village.
The victims have ranged in age from 16 to 36, and the last reported robbery was on Jan. 18.