MANHATTAN — Gesund-heist!
A straphanger closed his eyes for a split second last week — while he sneezed — and had his cellphone snatched out of his hand, police said.
The 63-year-old man was riding a northbound 1 subway train at Chambers Street about 5 p.m. Aug. 14 when he sneezed. An opportunistic thief chose that moment to grab the Samsung Galaxy S3 from the man's hand, the victim told police.
The thief, who made off with the $522 phone, was about 18 years old and stood about 5-foot-6, the victim told police. No arrests had been made as of Tuesday afternoon.
Other notable crimes in this week's NYPD blotter for the 1st Precinct include:
— The Prince Street shop Bite Beauty Lip Lab was robbed in broad daylight on Wednesday, police said.
A well-dressed man who stood 6-foot-6 entered the 174 Prince St. makeup shop about 2 p.m. Aug. 14 and bought a tube of magenta lipstick, a worker told police.
After the thief made his purchase, he followed the 25-year-old male worker to the back of the small store and demanded his $24 back for the lip color, plus the rest of the cash in the register.
The man, estimated to be 50 years old, made off with $97, police said. He wore a blue sport coat, black slacks and black dress shoes, the worker told police.
No arrests had been made as of Tuesday afternoon.
Bite Beauty Lip Lab's space was formerly occupied by the boutique Alexander Berardi New York, where in March 2012 a pair of cowboy hat-wearing thieves snatched a beloved pet rabbit named Miss Cooper.
— A woman had her wallet stolen at the trouble-prone club Greenhouse on Aug. 11.
The 21-year-old misplaced her $200 wallet at the 150 Varick St. club after 4 a.m., police said. When she called her bank to cancel her debit card, she was told someone had tried to buy $268 worth of goods with it.
No arrest had been made as of Tuesday afternoon.
— A gym locker packed with pricey gear was broken into at the Wall Street location of New York Sports Club on Aug. 13, police said.
A 22-year-old told police he secured his locker before going to work out about noon. When he returned, the lock was unlocked and several items were missing, including a $350 iPhone 4, a $200 Coach wallet, $60 cash, his Social Security card and his debit card, he told police.
Unauthorized charges totaling $391 were made at T.J.Maxx and J&R Music and Computer World, he told police.
No arrest had been made as of Tuesday afternoon.
— A man was assaulted at a South Street Seaport restaurant on Saturday after he intervened in a fight, police said.
A 37-year-old man was trying to break up an argument between his friend and another man at Pacific Grill about 1:30 a.m. when the stranger began punching him, he told police.
The victim never saw a weapon but he began bleeding from his forehead and the back of his neck soon after the altercation, police said. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, police said.
The suspect stands about 6 feet tall. No video of the incident was available, police said.
