Purse Snatcher Caught on Surveillance Cameras: Police

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Fairfax County Police Department released surveillance photos Wednesday of an unidentified man who they say stole a purse last month from a 69-year-old woman.

The theft occurred at about 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, at a shopping center in the 6700 block of Richmond Highway (Route 1), according to police. The man walked up to the woman's car as she was getting into the driver’s seat, pulled open the passenger door and stole her purse from the seat inside. The purse contained the woman's rosary.

Shown in the photos below, the man is described as white, about 5 feet 5 inches tall and 140 pounds, with a thin build, and 25 to 28 years old. He was seen getting into a light-colored pickup truck with a ladder rack in the back, the police said.

The purse was later recovered, but the rosary was lost. However, the police officer who responded to the scene later went to the victim's home and gave her a new rosary, WUSA-TV Channel 9 reported.

The woman, who prefers to remain anonymous, told Channel 9 that the gesture by the veteran officer, PFC Matthew Pleva, "brought me to tears."

The lady wrote a commendation letter praising Pleva and sent it to the Mount Vernon District Station commander. "Just a small token of kindness and generosity by one officer made a big difference in one person’s life," the police said in a statement.

If you recognize the robbery suspect in this case or have information on his whereabouts, please contact the Mount Vernon Criminal Investigations Section at 703-360-8400 (hit zero at the voice prompt) or the Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

You can also contact Crime Solvers electronically by clicking here or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES (274637).

Images: Surveillance photos, below, of the man suspected in the Feb. 21 purse snatching (FCPD)