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iPhone Thefts Up 44% From 2011
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 22, 2012
Modified Apr 22, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 22, 2012
Modified Apr 22, 2012
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On the heels of yet another person killed for their iPhone, the Daily News learns that thefts of the devices (along with iPads) have risen 44% from last year. NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and Senator Charles Schumer announced an initiative last week that would build a database of ID numbers for phones so that they can be tracked, as currently all criminals have to do is remove the SIM card to resell them. But whether it's through a popular app or transit stings, police are fighting back: just yesterday cops arrested a man for stealing people's phones while they slept.
At around 6 a.m., members of the NYPD Transit Manhattan Task Force were patrolling the 42nd Street/Times Square station when they spotted a man entering a 7 train and sitting next to a sleeping passenger, where he allegedly started patting the sleeping passenger's pockets before exiting the train before it left the station. Police stopped 22-year-old Enemuo Chukwudike and found an iPhone and a credit card, neither of which belonged to him, and police allege they came from two different sleeping passengers.
Chukwudike was charged with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, jostling, and criminal possession of a weapon for some razor blades that were found in his pockets.
Tagged
crime
iphone
iphone theft
nypd
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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