EAST HARLEM — A boy's kind gesture was reciprocated with theft.
A 14-year-old Bronx boy waiting for a train home from school at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue had his iPhone stolen by a panhandler after giving the man a dollar about 6 p.m. on Thursday.
"God bless you," the man told the boy and hugged him about 6 p.m. on Feb. 11. After the hug the boy reached into his pocket and noticed his smartphone was gone, according to the NYPD.
The boy confronted the pony-tailed man, who looked to be in his 30s, but the beggar denied taking the $500 phone.
The teen told police that the man said, "No, I didn't take your phone. Look, I don't need to go back to jail."
Then the man, who police said stand 5-foot-6 and weighs 160 pounds, grabbed his blue shopping cart and walked to the other side of the station, police said.
No arrests have been made.
