NYPD: Shoplifter on the Loose After Punching Manhattan Convenience Store Employee

Nick Gilbertson

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is searching for a man they say punched a 21-year-old woman in the face while he shoplifted from a Manhattan Duane Reade Friday morning.

The incident occurred at 10:27 a.m. at the Duane Reade located at the intersection of Broadway and West 111th Street in Morningside Heights, according to NYPD Crime Stoppers.

The man was allegedly shoplifting from a freezer when the 21-year-old employee asked him to return the items he was in the process of taking, WABC reports. Authorities said the man punched her in the face before grabbing her by the hair and tossing her to the floor, according to the New York Post. He took off down Broadway following the incident, police said.

The victim is expected to be alright, per WABC.

“The suspect was last seen wearing a red jacket, blue jeans and red boots. Police described him as being about 40 years old, 6 feet tall and 200 pounds,” Pix 11 reports.

The incident comes as brazen thieves are taking what they please from retailers and private citizens under the watch of Democrat Mayor Eric Adams. On February 8, the New York Post captured a video of a man allegedly stealing ten steaks from a Manhattan Trader Joe’s.

Since Adams was sworn in on January 1, crime rates in the city have spiraled out of control.

From January 1 – February 6, robberies have increased 34.9 percent in comparison to the same time period under former Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2021, the NYPD’s crime statistics show. Grand larceny has jumped 62.2 percent, and petite larceny has climbed 23.3 percent in comparison to last year. Burglaries have seen an 11.4 percent increase.

Moreover, rapes have climbed 35.3 percent since 2021, transit crimes skyrocketed 74.6 percent, and misdemeanor and felony assaults have increased by 29.1 percent and 13.3 percent, respectfully.

On Sunday morning, police say that Christina Yuna Lee, 35, was followed home by a homeless man and viciously stabbed to death in her Chinatown apartment in the Lower East Side, Breitbart News reported. The suspect, Assamad Nash, 25, has a lengthy rap sheet, and the victim’s landlord, Brian Chin, said Nash should have been in jail for previous offenses. Chin slammed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s policies, according to the New York Daily News.

“And to see the destruction wrecked over one mayor’s term and one DA’s term, it’s not just shocking and appalling, it’s outrageous just from a personal level as well,” Chin said in part.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.