Thieves used stolen mopeds, scooters in more than 60 sidewalk robberies, New York City Mayor Eric Adams says

New York City Police Department detectives in an early morning raid Monday busted a gang of suspected moped thieves who carried a citywide rampage of scores of sidewalk robberies which took cellphones and purses, mostly from women, and used the stolen electronics to loot the bank accounts of victims, officials said.

Some 62 robberies took place over a three-month period and were believed to be directed by a Bronx man who placed orders with thieves for stolen cellphones and had an electronics hacker break into the devices and steal money from bank accounts, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news conference attended by Mayor Eric Adams and police brass,

“The crimes in this pattern involved multiple thieves on mopeds snatching cellphones and purses from their victims,” said Kenny. “The mopeds used in these crimes are also stolen as well.”

The robberies began in November 2023 on the Upper East Side with the latest incident occurring Sunday night in Chinatown, according to investigators.

The prime mover in the thefts was identified as Victor Parra, 30, who Kenny said put out social media blasts asking for cellphones and saying, “I have money, go get ’em.” Phone thieves, who could get $300 to $600 a phone, brought them to Parra's apartment, Kenny said.

It was at the apartment, according to Kenny, that Parra allegedly had a technical expert break into the phones and steal financial and personal data of owners. Parra, who was still at large as of Monday night, and six other defendants were charged with grand larceny, police said.

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban termed the crime group “ghost criminals” because of their migrant status, lacking criminal histories in the U.S. with no public photos, no social media presence and sometimes with no clarity about their real names.

“On top of that these operations are extremely sophisticated, “Caban said.

Adams, who has been dealing with recent attacks on police officers by migrants and the resulting public uproar, said the actions of a few migrants shouldn’t stain the reputations of the vast majority of 130,000 migrants who have come to the city in recent months.

“It doesn’t matter if a person is a migrant, asylum-seeker or long term New Yorker, you break the law, you will be investigated and handle by our criminal justice system,” said Adams, adding that if an asylum-seeker is found guilty the person should be deported.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.com

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.