Serial Cross-Borough Perfume Thief Evades NYPD

NEW YORK, NY — Police are searching for a thief they believe is responsible for robbing fragrances from at least seven pharmacies throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. The six-week crime spree started Nov. 29, and the last known incident was Jan. 10, police told Patch.

The first incident took place at a Duane Reade in Midtown on Nov. 29. The suspect removed various perfumes from a display rack case and fled the store, police told Patch. The man struck again the next day at an East Village Duane Reade. He again stole perfume from a locked display case, placed them in a black shipping bag and fled the store, police said.

The bandit used similar tactics in December to steal perfume and/or cologne from: a locked cabinet in a NoHo Walgreens on Dec. 6; a Kips Bay Rite Aid on Dec. 13; and a Brooklyn Walgreens on Dec. 15, police told Patch.

The thief continued his crime spree into the new year, starting Jan. 5 when the man used an unknown tool to pry open a locked fragrance display case inside a Duane Reade in Brooklyn. The suspect stole cologne and perfume worth about $3,427 and fled the store on foot, police said.

The last known incident was at a Brooklyn Rite Aid on Jan. 10. The thief broke the lock, stole various fragrances and fled the store, police said.

Police described the suspect as a white male who's approximately 40-years-old. He stands at 5-foot-9, weighs about 180 pounds and was last seen wearing a black jacket and a red-burgandy winter hat, police said.

Photo: NYPD