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VIDEO: Thieves Target Moms with Strollers Shopping in Rego Park, Police Say

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | November 20, 2015 5:03pm | Updated on November 22, 2015 8:05pm
 Thieves are targeting women shopping at the Rego Center Mall, police said.
Thieves are targeting women shopping at the Rego Center Mall, police said.
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DNAinfo.com/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska

QUEENS — Thieves are targeting mothers shopping at the Rego Center Mall and stealing things they leave on top of their strollers as they walk around stores, police said.

At least two such cases have been recently reported, including one at Marshalls, according to Deputy Inspector Judith Harrison, the commanding officer of the 112th Precinct, which covers Forest Hills and Rego Park.

“This is particularly important because the holiday season is coming,” Harrison said at a community council meeting earlier this week.

Harrison said the suspects wait for the victims to leave strollers.

“They are walking away from their purses and they are walking away from the child that is sitting in that stroller,” she said.

Thieves Target Mothers Shopping at Rego Center Mall
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112th Precinct

The precinct released a video of one of the incidents. 

“The man could have easily hurt that child,” Harrison said referring to the suspect seen in the video.

She also noted that there were 21 incidents of grand larceny in the precinct in the 28-day period ending Nov. 15.

“Out of those, eight were unattended property and they were preventable,” she said. “You can’t take your eyes off your valuables.”