SOHO — A Bronx pawn shop unwittingly tried to sell a pricey custom-made guitar back to the famed music shop it was stolen from, police and a store manager said.
A thief swiped the walnut, single-cut axe worth approximately $11,995 from Rudy’s Music at 461 Broome St. at some point between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. on April 20, the NYPD said.
An employee realized the instrument had been stolen the next day when he noticed the hook it had been hanging on was empty, police said.
A week later, on April 27, Rudy’s received a call from a worker at a pawn shop in The Bronx asking if the music store wanted to buy a guitar, police and a manager at Rudy’s Music said.
The manager, who declined to give his name, said he knew immediately it was the one that had been swiped from the store.
“As soon as I got on the phone, I told him that was something that was stolen from us a few days prior,” he said. “‘I said, ‘We’re one of the few shops that carry that.’
“I guess he just looked up guitar stores with great reputations in New York that deal with high-quality instruments and called us and said he had something."
Officers from the 1st Precinct were able to connect with the pawn shop — which didn’t know it had purchased stolen merchandise — and return the guitar to its rightful owners, the manager said.
“They helped us recover everything in a very timely manner,” he said. “Those guys were great, and we really owe them a debt of gratitude.”
Rudy’s, which opened a SoHo outpost in 2009, closed its original store on Music Row around two years ago after nearly 40 years in business.
“In the old store, back in the '70s and '80s, this kind of stuff happened all the time,” the manager said. “But it’s a rare occasion these days, knocking on wood as I say it.”
Other recent crimes in the 1st Precinct include:
► A pair of thieves swiped two boxes filled with $17,100 worth of Pinko merchandise — including a $1,000 Pinko leather jacket — from an unattended, unlocked truck parked in front of the clothing brand’s store at 416 West Broadway around 11:32 a.m on Monday, police said. A manager working at the store on Tuesday declined to comment on the theft.
► A Victoria’s Secret at 591 Broadway lost 30 Dream Angels bras worth $1,455 and 30 Body By Victoria bralettes worth $1,035 to thieves around 4:15 p.m. on April 28, the NYPD said. Police searched the area for the thieves, but didn’t find them. A manager working at the store on Tuesday declined to comment on the theft.
► A 21-year-old man was crossing the street in front of 305 West Broadway around 5:55 p.m. on April 27 when he found himself surrounded by four men who appeared to be teenagers, police said. While one of the teens threw two punches at him, another pointed a knife-like object at him and pulled on the $20 Samsung headphones attached to the man’s phone in his pocket. The teens managed to flee with the man’s headphones. No one had been arrested in connection with the incident as of Tuesday.
► A 36-year-old woman’s $2,000 Samsung television was stolen from an open van while she was moving out of her apartment on Mercer Street, near Grand Street, around 9 a.m. on Monday, the NYPD said. Police searched the location, but didn’t find the TV.
► A 36-year-old man was near the southeast corner of Mercer and Howard streets around 1 p.m. on April 30 when an acquaintance approached him and stated, "Where's my money?" police said. After a dispute, the suspect demanded the 36-year-old's money and cellphone and told him he had a weapon. The suspect fled with the man's $750 iPhone 6+ and $570 in cash. He hadn't been arrested as of Tuesday.
