Since last November in New York City, particularly in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, there have been several incidents of theft from Lyft and Uber drivers, workers between the ages of 20 and 68. Several valuables, cell phones and cash were reportedly stolen. The NYPD said it is currently searching for three people suspected in the thefts, who according to current reconstructions would enter the vehicles and at first, ask the driver to type in an address or change a drop-off location. Immediately thereafter they would abruptly snatch the phone and dash camera from the drivers’ hands before jumping out of the car. They would then flee either on foot or by car.
According to current NYPD reconstructions, the suspects even allegedly used the drivers’ phones for money transfer operations, stealing at least $37,000–that’s in addition to the value of the items taken. NYPD said that in one of the cases that occurred on Jan. 17, the suspects threatened a 25-year-old driver with a knife while he was on Gansevoort Boulevard in Staten Island, forcing him to hand over his iPhone. The suspects then used the device to transfer $7,000. Police said that in addition to the thefts, there were several violent incidents in which the criminals punched and kicked drivers, leaving them with minor injuries.
So far, most of the attacks have occurred in Queens, in neighborhoods such as Jackson Heights, Laurelton, Corona, and Jamaica. But suspects allegedly also targeted drivers in East New York and Canarsie in Brooklyn, and in Tottenville and Arrochar in Staten Island. Police are asking anyone with information about the robberies to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) or visit the Crime Stoppers website.
