UPPER WEST SIDE — A thief who tried to steal hundreds of dollars of North Face jackets from a sporting goods store lost his nerve when he realized that he had been seen — dropping the pricey coats on the sidewalk before making a quick getaway, police said.
The suspect walked out of Eastern Mountain Sports on Broadway and West 76th Street holding 10 women's jackets worth $1,160 without paying on April 20 at 2 p.m., police said.
When an employee followed him out of the store to confront the thief, he immediately dumped the jackets on the ground and dashed into a car that was waiting for him, police said.
Police could not provide any further description of the suspect, the getaway car or the driver.
A store manager did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Other notable crimes in the 20th Precinct include:
► A man in his mid-20s stole $4,739 worth of medication from the Duane Reade on Broadway at West 63rd Street on April 19 at 10:30 p.m., police said. The suspect put the medication, which police did not describe, into two shopping bags and fled the store. The store declined to comment.
► A 29-year-old man was arrested for stealing a wallet containing $57 out of a woman's purse at the Empire Hotel Rooftop Bar on April 19 at 3 a.m., police said. The woman put her purse down on a table and returned a short time later to find her wallet gone. The Empire Hotel Rooftop Bar did not immediately respond to request for comment.
A woman also had her bag stolen from the rooftop bar on March 28.
►Two bikes worth a combined $1,650 were stolen from Riverside Drive and West 80th Street, where they were locked up, on April 18 between 2:30 and 3 p.m., police said. The 31-year-old owner of the bikes said she left them locked up for roughly 20 minutes and returned to find them gone.
► An antique gold pillbox worth $3,700 was stolen from the window display of More and More Antiques on Amsterdam Avenue at West 78th Street on April 12 at 5:30 p.m., police said. The store clerk was helping another customer when someone in the store fled with the pillbox. Police could not provide a description of the suspect. The store declined to comment.
