MANHATTAN — They were going for a supermarket sweep.
A pair of would-be shoplifters were arrested after trying to steal everything from lobster tails and bacon to a load of cheese wedges in two separate incidents just days apart, police said.
In the first attempted theft, on March 24 about 8:17 p.m., a 40-year-old suspect tried to leave the Food Emporium at 452 W. 43rd St. with 17 wedges of Jarlsberg cheese worth $139, the NYPD said.
A manager working at the store Wednesday said the man had been caught shoplifting before, but to his knowledge had never stolen any cheese.
“Believe me, we were very surprised — why would he be stealing so much cheese?” said the manager, who declined to give his name. “But in this business, I’ve seen people steal stuff that really don’t make sense.”
A store security officer approached the suspect after he noticed him trying to shove a package of shrimp into a large bag as he left the store, the manager said.
When the officer opened the bag, he discovered the 17 cheese wedges.
“You know if he steals that much cheese he’s just going to sell it back to some kind of bodega,” he said.
Two days later, on March 26 about 2:20 p.m., a 52-year-old man was arrested after he tried to leave the Whole Foods at 250 Seventh Ave. with six lobster tails worth $60, a $56 fish, a $7 package of bacon and two pieces of chicken worth $14 each, the NYPD said.
A manager working at the store on Wednesday said he couldn’t comment on the theft because he wasn’t working at the time.
Other recent crimes in the 10th Precinct include:
► A 41-year-old woman was arrested at the southeast corner of West 42nd Street and 10th Avenue about 1:40 a.m. on March 25 after a police officer saw her stop her black BMW in the crosswalk at a red light and drive “aggressively” over the speed limit, the NYPD said. A Breathalyzer test found the woman had a blood alcohol content of .118.
► A man kicked the glass front door at Hot Sichuan restaurant, at 130 Ninth Ave. near West 18th Street, about 3:20 p.m. on March 24 after a manager told him the bathroom was only for customers, police said. The man fled southbound on Ninth Avenue and westbound on West 18th Street after kicking the door, which will cost around $400 to repair. The manager, who was working at the store on Wednesday, said the restaurant hadn’t been able to repair the door yet and didn’t know the man who broke it.
► A 45-year-old man was arrested for drunk driving after a police officer saw him standing outside his vehicle at the southwest corner of West 21st Street and 11th Avenue, the NYPD said. The man was swaying, slurring his speech, smelled like alcohol and told police he’d been driving his vehicle before it “shut down” at the corner. The officer discovered the front of the vehicle was damaged and the airbags had deployed. The man refused to take a breathalyzer test at the scene.
