The moment a migrant on a moped dragged a woman down a New York City street to steal her phone was captured in gruesome footage shared by police.
Three migrants were arrested overnight by the NYPD after allegedly committing a crime in which they stole wallets and cellphones from at least 62 women across the city’s seven boroughs.
Police say they arrested the migrants, all believed to be from Venezuela, at a safe house in the Bronx after executing a search warrant.
The suspects allegedly stole the iPhones to use the Apple Pay feature and use the owners’ credit cards to purchase items.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said, “Most migrants come to New York looking for a better life. Unfortunately, some come to commit crime. Today we made tremendous progress on the largest robbery pattern plaguing our city.
The moment a migrant on a moped dragged a woman down a New York City street to steal her phone was captured in horrific footage shared by police
The suspects allegedly stole the iPhones to use the Apple Pay feature and use the owners’ credit cards to purchase items
“Our message is simple: commit a crime in our city and we will find you and bring you to justice!”
Mayor Eric Adams went along for the sting operation and later appeared at a news conference with police.
‘This is not about the migrants and asylum seekers, this is about those who break the law. It doesn’t matter where you come from or where you come from,” the Democrat said.
Officer Nicholas Fiore said police are still searching for the leader of the crime gang, who was allegedly looking for migrants to do “his dirty work.”
‘He’s the big target. (He) caused a lot of problems in New York City,” Fiore added.
Monday’s arrests come after another video late last month showed a dozen migrants attacking two police officers in Times Square.
A Manhattan judge released at least five asylum seekers without bail after they were accused of the assault. Only one of the suspects remains in prison.
Four of the suspects are believed to have fled the city after being charged and released after giving false names to a charity that helps migrants get bus tickets.
Many of the migrants were already known to police on charges of petty theft and shoplifting.
According to the New York Post, the migrants accused of the abuse are also part of a wire fraud scheme.
“They are buying back cars in Ecuador and Venezuela,” a police source told the Post. ‘They put swimming pools in their houses there. All this money goes back and forth. That’s why thefts are getting out of hand. It’s incredible what they do.’
Mayor Eric Adams went along for the sting operation and later appeared at a news conference with police
Officer Nicholas Fiore said police are still searching for the leader of the crime gang, who was allegedly looking for migrants to do “his dirty work.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs has defended the decision to release the suspects, but claimed Saturday that he will present evidence against them to a grand jury.
New York City is buckling under the weight of a massive influx of asylum seekers, with more than 170,000 arrivals since the spring of 2022.
Adams initially welcomed the migrants but has since warned that the situation will “destroy” the city as we know it. Meanwhile, his pleas for help from the federal government have been ignored.
In the city’s latest controversial move to crack down on migrants, Adams announced a $53 million program to give prepaid credit cards to immigrant families with children.
Yesterday it was revealed that migrants staying in one of the city’s hotels will receive prepaid cards to buy food and baby supplies, rather than the city providing meals that the migrants often did not want.
Adams estimates the $53 million plan will save the city $600,000 a month, or $7.2 million a year, drawing outrage from many across the country, including native New Yorkers like rapper 50 Cent.
Migrants must sign an affidavit promising to use the cards only for food and baby supplies, or else have them cut off.
Police are still looking for at least eight other men involved in the Times Square fight
It’s unclear how the city of New York will know if they are only being used in bodegas as intended.
The amount on each card depends on individual circumstances. It’s unclear how city officials will monitor whether cards are being misused — and whether the plan will worsen the crisis by encouraging other migrants to head to the Big Apple in hopes of receiving free money.
A family of four could get almost $1,000 each month, which equates to $35 a day for food for the four.
Currently, each migrant meal costs $11, so feeding a family of four for a day could cost up to $132.
Cards are refilled every 28 days.