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Queens Center Mall Thief Targets Shoppers With Baby Strollers, Police Say

By Katie Honan | September 14, 2016 11:37am
 The pikcpocket was caught Sept. 10 as he stuck his hand inside a purse at Aeropostale in the Queens Center Mall, police said. 
The pikcpocket was caught Sept. 10 as he stuck his hand inside a purse at Aeropostale in the Queens Center Mall, police said. 
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Flickr/Chung Chu

ELMHURST — A sly pickpocket stole items from bags left on top of baby strollers at the Queens Center Mall at least three times this summer before an eagle-eyed security guard caught him in the act, officials said. 

Nestor Sanchez, 58, stuck his hand inside handbags in three separate incidents inside the popular mall, police said. 

He was caught Sept. 10 at around 5:15 p.m. after a security guard at Victoria's Secret spotted him rustling through a purse left unattended by a shopper at a nearby Aéropostale store, according to the criminal complaint.

The guard notified a police officer nearby, who busted Sanchez and charged him with jostling. 

It's not clear if he took anything out of the purse, but investigators tied him to two other larcenies inside the mall using surveillance video, officials said.

On July 31, he stole a wallet that included credit cards and an iPhone from a bag at Gap Kids, police said.

And on Aug. 5, he stole an iPhone from a bag at Victoria's Secret. 

Sanchez was arraigned Sept. 11 in Queens Criminal Court and held on $5,000 bond, court records show. He is due back in court Oct. 11, according to the DA. 

Information on his lawyer was not immediately available.