CHELSEA — A pair of thieves swindled an 81-year-old man out of $400 by telling him his car was smoking, then pretending to fix it, the NYPD said.
The 81-year-old man was driving westbound on West 25th Street around 2:20 p.m. on Sept. 17 when he pulled into a parking spot in front of 430 W. 25th St., between Ninth and 10th avenues, police said.
Not long after he’d parked, two men approached his car and told him it was smoking, the NYPD said.
After the two men “pretended” to fix the man's car, they told him he should pay them $400 for their work, police said.
The 81-year-old went to an ATM, took out $400 in cash and paid them, but later realized he’d been the victim of a scam, the NYPD said.
Police hadn’t arrested anyone in connection with the incident as of Wednesday.
Other notable crimes in Chelsea's 10th Precinct include:
► A 24-year-old man from New Jersey was arrested after a police officer saw him throwing a brick at a car’s windshield, then smashing it with his bare hands across from 436 W. 27th St., between Ninth and 10th avenues, around 3 a.m. on Sept. 25. The man injured his hands and the vehicle sustained more than $250 worth of damage, the NYPD said.
► A man pulled out a knife and told a 56-year-old woman that he would “cut” her after the two got into an argument behind 440 W. 41st St., between Ninth and 10th avenues, around 6:55 p.m. on Sept. 16. After the man threatened the woman, she pulled out her phone and started recording him, at which point the man knocked the phone out of her hands and broke it.
► A 39-year-old man was crossing the street near West 24th Street and Eighth Avenue around 3:10 p.m. on Sept. 23 when a bicyclist rode by and almost hit him, the NYPD said. After the near miss, the bicyclist got off his bike and threw the man to the ground, leaving him with scrapes and bruises on his leg. The bicyclist fled west on West 24th Street and the victim refused medical attention.
