Seven people were arrested for allegedly using mopeds to rob pedestrians in a criminal enterprise organized through WhatsApp, the NYPD said on Monday.
Officials said the seven are accused of robbing 147 people in 62 incidents in what they described as drive-by purse and phone snatchings. Police identified a 30-year-old man from Venezuela as the alleged ringleader, who came to the U.S. in 2023 but was not among those arrested.
“[The ringleader] will send out specific orders for what type of phone he is looking for and then the text will say, ‘I have money. I’m available. Go get ’em,’” Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news conference on Monday. “Once the messages are received, the crime wave begins with the scooter operators making $100 a day and the actual phone-snatcher making between $300 to $600 per phone.”
According to police, there is probable cause to arrest three more people in addition to the seven arrested as part of the robbery pattern, but they have not yet been found. Kenny said officers were still investigating other robberies.
“This network of thieves predominantly live in the migrant shelter system,” he said. “They use social media platforms to organize and coordinate their thefts.”
Attorney information for those arrested was not immediately available.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined police in serving search warrants Sunday night. Speaking on Monday, the mayor pressed on the importance of separating incidents like these with the greater community of asylum-seekers who have come to New York over recent years.
“The overwhelming number of migrants and asylum-seekers want to work, they want to contribute to our society,” Adams said at the news conference. “We should not in any way take these criminals and state that they are the indicators of the people who are here.”
Adams said police seized 2,500 illegal mopeds in 2023 – a 74% increase compared to las year. According to NYPD statistics, 976 electric scooter users…
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