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Bloomingdale's Hit By Six Attempted Shoplifters in a Month: NYPD

By Shaye Weaver | July 29, 2016 4:58pm | Updated on August 1, 2016 8:40am
 Bloomingdale's on Third Avenue was hit two more times in July, making at least six attempted thefts at the store since June 29.
Bloomingdale's on Third Avenue was hit two more times in July, making at least six attempted thefts at the store since June 29.
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DNAinfo/Shaye Weaver

UPPER EAST SIDE — Two more thieves were caught trying to sneak out of Bloomingdale's with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, bringing the count to six attempted thefts at the store in the past month.

Two men recently tried to shoplift at the 1000 Third Ave. department store in separate incidents, but both were caught by store security, according to authorities.

READ MORE: 4 Shoplifters Hit Bloomingdale's in Less Than a Month

On Monday, 33-year-old Pedro Martinez tried to walk out of the Bloomingdale's with four Michael Kors wallets, a Michael Kors purse and Marc Jacobs purse without paying at about 1:38 p.m. The items were worth a total of $1,487.

He was charged with grand larceny and an extra burglary charge for returning to the store after being banned for shoplifting there in the past, police said.

At his arraignment Tuesday, bail was set at $20,000 cash or $35,000 bond. He's currently being held at the Manhattan Detention Complex in Lower Manhattan. His attorney did not immediately return a call for comment.

The same Bloomingdale's was hit again at 7:45 p.m. on July 22, when a thief tried to lift a $410 pair of Gucci sunglasses by hiding it in his pocket and a $440 Ferragamo belt by wearing it around his shorts, according to authorities.

Police also found the thief was carrying marijuana and another controlled substance.

He was charged with burglary for returning to the store after being banned, according to a police source who could not provide more information on the suspect's name or additional charges.

Bloomingdale's did not respond to request for comment.

Here are a number of other thefts that took place on the Upper East Side within the last week:

► A homeless man and woman were arrested for stealing more than a thousand dollars worth of dietary supplements from a CVS and a Duane Reade on Monday, police said.

A witness told a police officer that two people were spotted around the corner of a building dumping items into a bag, according to authorities.

The officer followed the suspects to the corner of 82nd Street and Second Avenue and found that they had stolen a number of nutrition supplements worth $1,310 — four cans of Enfagrow nutrition shakes, 12 bottles of Prevagen, seven bottles of Relacore diet pills, nine Zantrex diet pills, and nine Libido Man bottles — from the CVS at 1294 Lexington Ave. They had also snatched $45 worth of Prevagen from the Duane Reade at 1479 Third Ave., police said.

Devin Petrucha, 36, and Cristina Soto, 27, were both charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

At their arraignment, Soto was released without bail. Petrucha is being held at Rikers in lieu of $7,500 bail.

Their attorneys did not immediately return calls for comment on Friday.

► A 23-year-old Bronx woman walked out of the H&M clothing store at the corner of East 86th Street and Lexington Avenue with a $10 T-shirt that she stuffed in her underwear, police said.

The theft took place at roughly 1:25 p.m. on Sunday.

Five minutes later, she tried to walk out of Steve Madden at 157 E. 85th St. with a pair of $30 sandals and a $90 pair of sneakers. She was arrested at the store when a security officer caught her, police said.

H&M declined to comment and Steve Madden did not respond to a request for comment.

► A 31-year-old man stole 40 cans of Red Bull, worth about $120, from the 7-Eleven at East 96th Street and Second Avenue by stashing them into a duffel bag and trying to walk out without paying.

Police found him nearby and arrested him the same day at about 10:19 p.m. on Saturday. He was charged with petit larceny, police said.