Cops: Thief on bike targets women in Uniondale

A thief on a mountain bike struggled with two women Friday in Uniondale, Nassau police said.

A woman, 29, was walking on Hempstead Boulevard near Bedford Avenue about 1:30 p.m. when a man who appeared to be in his early 20s tried to yank the purse off her shoulder, police said.

During the struggle, the suspect grabbed her cellphone from her rear pants pocket, police said.

When the woman said the phone did not work, the thief threw it to the ground and pedaled away, according to police.

A short time later, the same man tried to steal a purse from a 19-year-old woman walking on Hempstead Boulevard near Duryea Avenue, police said. As the two struggled, he snatched a cellphone from the bag and fled, running through the back yard of a Duryea Avenue home, police said.

The teenager noticed a gray mountain bike at the corner of Uniondale Avenue and Hempstead Boulevard -- the same bike she saw the robber riding earlier, police said.

Police seized the bicycle. No injuries were reported, police said.

Anyone with information may contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 800-244-TIPS.