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Thief Comforts Crying Woman Before Stealing Her Purse, Police Say

By Allegra Hobbs | December 14, 2016 6:21pm
 Police say the suspect offered to hold the woman's purse while she visited a nearby convenience store, than walked away with her belongings.
Police say the suspect offered to hold the woman's purse while she visited a nearby convenience store, than walked away with her belongings.
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Anton K. Nilsson/DNAinfo

LOWER EAST SIDE — A man who stopped to comfort a crying woman on Sunday ran off with her purse after offering to hold it while she ran an errand, police said.

The 37-year-old victim was crying outside the Stop 1 Gourmet Deli and Grocery at 172 Allen St. around 1:50 a.m. when a stranger stopped and asked if she was OK, according to a police report.

The man then offered to hold her purse for her while she went into the deli, and she complied, but the man then walked off with her belongings, according to authorities.

The woman's Michael Kors purse, valued at around $100, contained a $100 wallet with a handful of credit cards, an iPhone 6 valued at around $600 and a Macbook laptop valued at around $1,000, according to a police report.

A deli employee said he had no knowledge of the incident.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.