FINANCIAL DISTRICT — A thief swiped a snack delivery truck left near the Staten Island Ferry terminal with the keys inside, then drank "a few beers" while taking it on a joyride before police caught him several hours later, the NYPD said.
Robert Thompson, 45, hopped inside the A&M Tasty Snack truck at about 6:15 a.m. on Oct. 24, which had been left with the keys in the ignition while the truck's driver was unloading goods at 4 South St., police said.
The delivery driver told police he hopped into a cab and tried to give chase, but he lost sight of the truck around Montgomery and Madison streets.
Thompson was eventually stopped by police several hours later, at Vesey Street and Broadway.
Police said Thompson had an 18-pack of Budweiser in the passenger seat, with six cans missing. He appeared "unsteady on his feet" and "had blurry eyes" and his breath smelled of alcohol, police said.
According to police reports, Thompson told officers that he was planning on selling the stolen truck to a friend.
Thompson was charged with burglary and grand larceny, but was not charged with driving while intoxicated, according to a criminal complaint from the Manhattan District Attorney's office.
Thompson's court-appointed lawyer, John Youngblood, said he had not talked to his client about speaking with the press, so he declined to comment.
A&M Tasty Snack could not immediately be reached for comment.
Thompson is being held on $15,000 bail.
Other recent crimes in the 1st Precinct include:
► A 42-year-old woman had her purse stolen by a thief who distracted her while she was tending to her 5-year-old nephew, police said. The woman said a man bumped into her while she was standing in front of 2 Cortlandt St. at about 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 21, and a couple of minutes later she realized her purse, which contained a $600 camera, a $65 Muji scarf, $50 in makeup and various credit cards, was missing.
► Twelve purses, worth a total of $4,405, were stolen from clothing boutique Halston Heritage at 59 Greene St. between 5:20 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Oct. 26, police said. A shoplifter removed the purses from a wall display and walked out, police said. An employee noticed the handbags were missing and reported the theft a half hour later. The boutique did not immediately return a call for comment.
► A thief using a “fraudulent” credit card stole a $38,500 Cadillac Zipcar, police said. The car was picked up from TriBeCa parking garage Central Parking System at 270 Greenwich St. on Aug. 13 at about 1 p.m., and the garage did not report the car missing until Oct. 26, police said. The GPS had been disabled on the car. The garage did not immediately return a call for comment. Zipcar declined to comment.
