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VIDEO: Woman Steals iPad From Dempsey's Pub, Owner Says

By Lisha Arino | August 1, 2014 2:37pm | Updated on August 4, 2014 8:39am
Surveillance Video of Woman Stealing iPad from Dempsey's Pub
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Dempsey's Pub

EAST VILLAGE — A thief grabbed an iPad from Dempsey’s Pub on Thursday afternoon while the bartender stepped out for a few minutes to pick up supplies, the bar's owner said.

Security cameras at the Irish pub at 61 Second Ave. captured a woman wearing a white jacket walking around the empty bar and then ducking behind the counter and grabbing the iPad just after noon, owner Tom O'Byrne said.

“It’s a bummer, you know?" O'Byrne said. "I feel violated."

Bartender Andrew Brinster, 21, who was working alone at the bar, said he left the business unattended for a few moments to run to the corner deli to grab a couple items.

“I noticed that we were empty on everything, so I just figured I’d take two seconds to run and stock up before the night shift started,” Brinster said. “Now I know better.”

According to the surveillance video, the woman spent just two minutes inside Dempsey's, first looking around, then checking the restrooms and then going behind the bar to take the iPad, which was sitting on a counter behind the bar, O'Byrne said. The video shows the woman reaching for something behind the bar, slinging her bag over her shoulder and walking away.

The bartender left his wallet behind the bar, but the woman removed only a single dollar from it, leaving his credit cards untouched, Brinster said.

When Brinster returned from the store, he noticed the iPad was missing and called O'Byrne, who was working upstairs in his office. They called the police and filed a report, O'Byrne said.

The 9th Precinct declined to comment on the incident.

O'Byrne had bought the iPad about two years ago and used it to play music at the pub. He said the theft was a reminder to always be vigilant.

“You forget because you’re in the neighborhood,” he said. “You know a lot people on the street, a lot of neighbors, so it’s really familiar, but things still happen.”