7 migrants arrested in New York City robbery pattern, officials say

NEW YORK — Seven migrants have been arrested, together with a number of Monday morning in an NYPD raid within the Bronx concentrating on a crew behind a citywide theft sample, the NYPD mentioned. 

Police imagine they’re a part of group chargeable for a citywide sample of cellphone robberies. A few of the stolen items have been recovered within the raid, police mentioned. 

Police mentioned all of it begins with criminals on scooters who steal individuals’s cellphones, after which hack into them to get entry to banking apps. 

Surveillance video reveals one incident by which a suspect on a scooter grabs a sufferer’s bag, dragging them to the sidewalk. 

The investigation led to a raid and a number of other arrests Monday at an residence within the Allerton part of the Bronx. Police have issued warrants for 3 different suspects and imagine much more are on the market.

Theft ring was run by a Venezuelan migrant, police say

Movies offered by the NYPD present suspects working in pairs on mopeds tugging at, and infrequently knocking over, unsuspecting victims to wrestle free iPhones, baggage, and wallets. 

Cops, accompanied by Mayor Eric Adams, made a number of arrests in an residence at 2790 Bronx Park East, described as a stash home or headquarters for a wide-ranging, multi-borough cellphone theft operation linked to greater than a dozen suspects. A lot of them are migrants, based on police. 

“These small variety of individuals are breaking the regulation and are having a huge effect on our public security, and that’s the reason we zeroed in on them,” Adams mentioned. “We’re not going to sit down idly by whereas individuals select to prey on their fellow New Yorkers.”   

“This administration, police division, we have all the time talked about welcoming asylum seekers. However when you begin robbing individuals and stealing from them, your standing is legal, and you will be handled as such,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard mentioned. 

“It would not matter if an individual is a migrant, asylum or if the particular person is a long-term New Yorker. You break the regulation, it’s going to be investigated, and it will likely be dealt with by our legal justice system,” Adams mentioned. “You shouldn’t be allowed to stroll the streets of town of New York in case you are committing any type of legal habits that is impacting the standard of lifetime of New Yorkers.” 

The arrests went down within the residence of Victor Parra, the alleged ringleader, at round 5:30 a.m. Monday.  Parra continues to be at massive, police mentioned.

“So in latest months, a wave of migrant crime has washed over our metropolis. However on no account do the people committing these crimes signify the huge variety of individuals coming to New York to construct a greater life. However they’re, nonetheless, preying on New Yorkers and making our metropolis much less protected,” NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban mentioned.

The police commissioner mentioned what’s making this case significantly troublesome to crack is the suspected migrants concerned have little or no paper path — no legal report within the U.S., no social media and generally, he mentioned, it is laborious for police to even authenticate a suspect’s identify or date of delivery.

“I need to reiterate the overwhelming variety of 170,000-plus migrants and asylum seekers are trying to proceed their subsequent leg of their journey of pursuing the American dream. However those that commit a criminal offense shall be handled like some other legal on this metropolis. No completely different mindset, no completely different response, no completely different response from the police division,” Adams mentioned.

Crooks used scooters for snatch-and-grab robberies, police say

“We imagine the people concerned have been concerned in 62 theft incidents throughout our metropolis, together with our transit system. Together with using on mopeds, scooters, and snatching property of New Yorkers, corresponding to iPhones and wallets. These people do not need a license to steal in our metropolis,” Adams mentioned.

Adams mentioned the NYPD seized greater than 2,500 unlawful mopeds and scooters final 12 months — a 74% enhance over the 12 months prior.

“The crimes on this sample concerned a number of thieves on mopeds, snatching cellphones and purses from victims. These thieves would journey up behind their victims on the sidewalk, steal their property, after which make their getaway. The vast majority of the victims are ladies, merely simply strolling alone. We now have seen that the mopeds utilized in these crimes are additionally stolen as effectively,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny mentioned.

Scooters and mopeds have turn into the car of alternative for criminals in New York Metropolis.

Again in July, CBS New York obtained an unique have a look at how the NYPD has been occurring the offensive, concentrating on what it describes as roving teams of unlicensed scooters, much like those used on this ring.

“Mopeds and scooters are getting used for crimes and harming harmless individuals. I need to be clear, once more, the regulation is coming for individuals who use mopeds illegally,” Adams mentioned.

Police mentioned the theft sample began in November 2023 on the Higher East Aspect and the latest incident occurred on Sunday evening in Chinatown. 

“This community of thieves predominantly reside within the migrant shelter system. They use social media platforms to prepare and coordinate their thefts,” Kenny mentioned. 

Authorities mentioned Parra would put out the request on WhatsApp, and that the scooter drivers and thieves could not even know each other. 

“As soon as the messages are obtained, the crime wave begins, with the scooter operators making $100 a day, and the precise telephone snatcher making between $300-600 per telephone that’s stolen,” Kenny mentioned. 

The stolen telephones have been delivered to Parra, who used a “tech man who is ready to hack into these stolen telephones, the place he beneficial properties entry to the sufferer’s monetary and banking apps,” Kenny mentioned.

Investigators mentioned the suspects have been grabbing telephones as a result of they’re interested in cost apps, together with Apple Pay. Detectives mentioned suspects used bank cards linked to telephones. 

Kenny mentioned to date police have recognized 14 members of the crew, and that seven had been arrested to date. Extra arrests are anticipated.

Authorities mentioned the individuals arrested have to date not been linked to the latest assault on two members of the NYPD in Instances Sq.. 

Some Bronx residents mentioned the theft ring worries them, particularly for his or her most weak family members and neighbors. 

“I am very scared, and my mom, she’s proper there, and it’s totally scary for the older individuals, too,” mentioned Bronx resident Pamela Colon. “It isn’t proper what they’re doing.” 

A “nationwide drawback,” Adams says

“This can be a nationwide drawback. We want a nationwide answer, on either side of the aisle. Republicans have blocked actual immigration reform for a few years. It’s time for us to cope with this actual concern that is impacting cities, not solely New York,” Adams mentioned. “This can be a nationwide drawback that is impacting cities. And our message is a transparent one: Over 175,000 migrants and asylum seekers which have arrived right here, that is 12 individuals. So any New Yorker that appears at those that are attempting to satisfy their subsequent step on the American dream as criminals, that’s mistaken. That isn’t what we’re seeing. The overwhelming variety of migrants and asylum seekers need to work. They need to contribute to our society. They imagine we now have put a pause on their development on contributing to our society. We must always not in any approach take these criminals and state that they’re the indications of the people who find themselves right here.” 

“This isn’t about migrants and asylum seekers. It is about criminals who dedicated a criminal offense. And we might deal with criminals the identical in the event that they’re longstanding New Yorkers, or if they simply arrived right here final 12 months. These are criminals that we delivered to justice,” Adams mentioned. 

Extra from CBS Information