Everything retro is in, and apparently that includes crimes. There's been a heightened level of sensitivity due to the release of the iPhone 5, and while cell phone snatching is common place today, chain-snatching has become strangely popular again in Brooklyn. Petty thugs in Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy have been targeting older men for their gold chains. Lt. Steve Weiss from the 71st precinct said "When I started 14 years ago and someone got their chain snatched, we'd look at each other like, 'what is this, the 80s?"
It's gotten so bad that two toddlers were robbed for their gold chains over the summer. Police attribute the resurgence in chain-snatching on economics. You can get $200 to $300 for a stolen iPhone, but $700 to $800 for a chain with a decent weight. While a stolen iPhone can be traced, stolen chains are usually sold before victims can do anything.
The best advice: Tuck your chain.
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[via DNAinfo]
