Crown Heights Shomrim Nab Borough Park iPhone Thief

On Thursday, Crown Heights Shomrim received a call from a Borough Park resident, who requested assistance with the retrieval of his stolen iPhone.

Assuming he had the wrong number, the Shomrim volunteer said he would connect him with the Borough Park division of Shomrim, but the man said he had made no error.

The man explained: While sitting in the waiting room of a Borough Park doctor’s office, he discovered that his iPhone was missing. At that moment, he saw a suspicious looking fellow hurriedly exiting the premises.

Certain that he was the perpetrator, the man confronted him and demanded his phone back, but the suspect responded aggressively and he was forced to back away.

A few hours later, the man borrowed a phone and called his own number. After several tries, the same fellow picked up. The man offered to buy his phone back, to which the thief agreed.

They arranged to meet at the Winthrop and Nostrand Ave. subway station, “which is why I’m contacting Crown Heights Shomrim,” the man explained.

Shomrim sprung into action. A volunteer called the number, claiming to be the owner’s brother, and said he was going to meet him at the arranged location and give him $150 for the iPhone.

The police were called, and they sent three undercover officers to the scene.

The volunteer then headed to the subway station, and waited for the perpetrator to arrive.

After waiting a while with no one showing up, the Shomrim volunteer called the number again. As the phone rang, he noticed a man across the street pull out a ringing iPhone. When he answered, it was clear that this was their man.

The volunteer approached him and demanded that he hand over the stolen phone. After he relented, the undercover officers came over and arrested him.

The thief was taken to the 71^st precinct, where he was charged with larceny and extortion.