Downtown Purse Thief Spent Nearly $2K On Stolen Cards: NYPD

CHELSEA, NY — Cops are looking for a man who spent nearly $2,000 on credit cards stolen from three women last month. The thief is suspected of stealing two purses and a wallet in Chelsea and Greenwich Village, the NYPD said.

The man first struck May 8, when a woman discovered her wallet had been stolen around 10 a.m. from inside 52 Ninth Ave. in Chelsea, police said. The thief spent about $1,000 on the woman's credit card, according to police.

The thief then stole a woman's purse on May 18 inside 123 W. 17th St. in Chelsea and spent about $300 on her credit card, cops said.

He most recently took another woman's purse on May 20 from the West Eighth Street address of a Greenwich Village restaurant and spent about $600 on her credit card, police said.

The thief was captured on surveillance cameras. He is described as a white man in his 30s standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 200 pounds, police said. He was last seen wearing a T-shirt and shorts.

Anyone with information about the incident can call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-8477 or 1-888-577-4782 to leave a tip in Spanish. New Yorkers can also text tips to 274637 or submit them online at nypdcrimestoppers.com.

(Lead image: Police are looking for a man who stole two wallets and a purse from three women last month. Photos courtesy of the NYPD)