There are a lot of dumb thieves out there—robbers who don't do their due diligence, or return to the scene of their crime the next day to ask for a job, or leave behind t-shirts with their face on it. But one serial Manhattan mugger has figured out a pretty smart way to rip off his victims: charm them with some light conversation first.
Police are searching for a serial mugger who they believe has committed at least seven robberies since mid-February. They also believe the suspect is a teenager who targets only male victims, before and after he goes to school. The suspect's MO: he follows his victims onto the platform or onto the street, starts a conversation with them so they let their guard down, then flashes a gun or knife and robs them of iPods and cell phones. The most recent incident occurred in SoHo last week; there have been other incidents around the LES and UWS.
"It's scary that somebody's mugging people at nine o'clock in the morning. I mean it's really crowded, so you feel so safe, but lately is seems like people are getting struck at two, three in the afternoon with lots of people around," one subway rider told NY1. This is why we have two strict subway policies: no small talk with strangers, and do not, under any circumstances, engage with teenagers.
