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Man Swipes Backpack From Unconscious Woman in Grand Avenue-Newtown Subway Station: NYPD

Suspect (NYPD) and Grand Avenue-Newtown station (photo courtesy of wiki/G. Punger (CC BY-SA 4.0))

Oct. 17, 2022 By Christian Murray

Police are looking for a man who allegedly stole a 67-year-old woman’s backpack while the victim was on the ground—after passing out from a medical episode—inside the Grand Avenue-Newtown subway station earlier this month.

The suspect allegedly took the bag at around 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7 after the woman had lost consciousness while on the mezzanine level in the station. He then fled the station, according to police.

The victim was transported to Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital in stable condition. The stolen backpack contained the victim’s credit cards, personal identification and house keys.

The following day, the suspect allegedly used the victim’s credit card that was inside the bag to make an unauthorized purchase at Jumbo’s Hamburger Place, located at 274 West 145 St. in Manhattan. After eating a meal inside the restaurant, the suspect exited and was last seen walking northbound on Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

The suspect is described as being approximately 50-years old with a dark complexion, medium build and facial hair. He was last seen wearing a blue baseball hat, a blue face mask, a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and carrying the victim’s purple and white backpack.

Surveillance video and photos of the suspect were obtained from the subway station and Jumbo’s Hamburger.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).