Woman fights off purse-snatcher in Mineola

The intended victim of a purse snatcher fought back against her attacker at the Mineola LIRR station, chasing him down and grabbing him before he wriggled free, police said.

The man lost his jacket and two righthanded gloves in the commotion, and left behind the woman's purse, police said.

The woman who foiled her attacker said she was on her cell phone Tuesday night at the Mineola station and was dressed in a pink jacket and flowered hat.

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"He obviously thought I was an easy target," said Diana, whose last name was not released. "But that wasn't the case."

Diana, 32, was on her cell phone at about 6 p.m. at the Long Island Rail Road station when she saw the man walking toward her.

"He looked at me, grabbed my bag and started to run," Diana said.

She ran after him, catching up to him at the steps leading off the platform. They scuffled and she fell down the stairs.

"I just thought that if it was someone else who couldn't take him, he'd get away with it," Diana said. "I just really wanted to catch him."

He ran, and she pursued him, she said. "I did think at one point, 'I really hope he doesn't have a knife or something more,' " she said.

They ended up in an alley, she said, and she kicked him in the face and he dropped her bag. She held him, but he wriggled out of her grasp.

"I felt like I wasn't a victim at that moment," she said. "I kind of made him the victim."

The man is described as 5-foot-5, 140 pounds and about 25 years old, with a pockmarked face. He was wearing blue jeans, and a white thermal T-shirt, said Det. Lt. Raymond Cote.

Police are increasing patrols around the station and working with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Major felonies are down in 2010 compared with last year. Through November there were 131 reported felonies on the LIRR, compared with 155 last year, MTA statistics show.

Forensics teams are also looking at what the man left behind.

The jacket is a size-small black ski coat with gray and red piping and a sewn-in hood. The first word of the label, which is torn, says Union.

One glove is a Nike with exposed fingers and a flap that folds over to convert it into a mitten. The other is a fleece glove.

Diana said she hopes these items will help officials track down the suspect. "I was kind of happy he went home jacketless and hopefully freezing . . . and I went home with everything."

Police said Diana was brave and took action, but it's not the sort of behavior they promote.

"We encourage people to give it up and live to fight another day," Lt. Kevin Smith said.

Diana herself had the same advice. "I would not suggest doing what I did," she said. "I was lucky."

With John Valenti