Police are searching for three suspects accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from elderly residents in a series of daytime bank thefts across Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
According to the NYPD, the group — described as two men and one woman — approached seniors inside bank branches, posed as helpful bystanders at ATM machines, and used sleight-of-hand tactics to steal bank cards and drain funds from victims’ accounts.
All nine thefts occurred between May and June, typically between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., officials said. The first incident took place on May 8, when an 87-year-old man was robbed of $6,000 at a Chase branch on 3rd Avenue and East 65th Street. The most recent reported case was on June 26, when a 93-year-old woman had $1,500 withdrawn from her account at a Citibank location on Lexington Avenue and East 86th Street.
Additional thefts occurred at other Upper East Side branches of Chase Bank, including locations on York Avenue and East 79th Street, 1st Avenue and East 71st Street, 3rd Avenue and East 90th Street, and 2nd Avenue and East 86th Street. In each instance, the suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction.
Police said the total amount stolen exceeds $50,000. None of the victims were physically harmed, though all were believed to be in their late 80s or early 90s and were left shaken by the encounters.
The NYPD confirmed that all cases are being investigated as grand larcenies, a felony charge applied when stolen property exceeds $1,000 in value. Citywide, incidents of grand larceny are down roughly 7% compared to the same period last year. However, the 19th Precinct — which covers much of the Upper East Side — has seen a 5% rise, with more than 770 reported cases since the beginning of the year, according to CompStat data.
Investigators have not yet released surveillance footage or descriptions of the suspects beyond their gender makeup and coordinated methods.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips may also be submitted online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or via @NYPDTips on X.
