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Pickpockets Steal Wallets, Purse from Diners and Subway Rider, Police Say

 The suspects stole two wallets and purse, the NYPD said.
The suspects stole two wallets and purse, the NYPD said.
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NYPD

MIDTOWN — A pair of thieves stole wallets from a pub patron, a food hall customer and a train passenger over the span of several weeks, police said.

The thieves first struck the Playwright Celtic Pub at 732 Eighth Ave. around 3:15 p.m. on March 31, where a 78-year-old man eating at the bar had hung his coat over a chair, the NYPD said.

The two men passed the patron’s chair, and the the victim later discovered his wallet had been taken from his coat pocket and an unauthorized transaction had been made at a Levi’s store, police said.

The thieves struck again less than a month later around 3:08 p.m. on April 10 at The Pennsy food hall at 2 Pennsylvania Plaza, when one of the suspects took a 34-year-old woman’s purse from the back of her chair, the NYPD said.  

The two thieves fled the eatery after the theft, according to police.

That same day, around 5:05 p.m., a 27-year-old woman was riding a northbound 3 train when she was bumped several times before getting off at West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, she told police.

When she left the train, she discovered her bag had been unsnapped and her wallet was missing.

Police are searching for two men about 20 years old, one of whom is around 5-foot-9, weighs about 150 pounds and was last seen wearing a black tank top. The second man was described as standing about 4-foot-9, police said.

A manager at the Playwright Celtic Pub said Monday she wasn’t aware the incident had happened.

Managers at the Pennsy did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-88-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting 274637 (CRIMES) and entering TIP577.