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Masked suspect sought after snatching teen’s purse on Manhattan-bound 7 train in Long Island City: NYPD

Cops are looking for this suspect who allegedly snatched a teenager’s purse as her 7 train approached the Queensboro Plaza subway station in Long Island City. NYPD

Feb. 27, 2025 By Bill Parry

Police from the 108th Precinct in Long Island City and Transit District 20 are looking for a purse snatcher who allegedly targeted a young woman on a Manhattan-bound 7 train on the night of Friday, Feb. 21.

The 17-year-old victim was sitting down as her train approached the Queensboro Plaza subway station just before midnight when a stranger snatched her purse from her lap, police said Wednesday.

The man ran off the train and fled in an unknown direction. The teenager’s purse contained her keys, credit cards, New York State identification, and her Apple AirPods.

The NYPD released a surveillance image of the suspect as he jumped a turnstile at the station. He wore a black face covering, a black winter jacket over a gray hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.

Anyone with information regarding this grand larceny investigation is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are confidential.

Through Feb. 23, the 108th Precinct has reported 76 grand larcenies so far in 2025, 34 fewer than the 110 reported at the same point last year, a decline of 30.9%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Transit crimes are also down in the precinct with 5 reported so far this year, one fewer than the half dozen reported at the same point in 2024, a decrease of 54-5%, according to CompStat.