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AirPods Max thieves snatching them from owner’s head, warns NYPD

New York Police Department has warned that AirPods Max thieves are targeting people walking in the street, snatching the headphones right off their heads, and using mopeds to make their getaway …

NYPD’s Crime Stoppers tweeted a video (below) of the suspects in action.


Wanted Grand Larceny Pattern: Know them? On numerous occasions the individuals riding on mopeds, approach the victim’s from behind & remove Apple AirPod Max headphones off the victim’s head. @NYPD10Pct Any info call us at 800-577-TIPS or anonymously post a tip on our website

MSN reports that the thieves have struck at least 21 times, including eight AirPods Max thefts in one day.

The NYPD released video Wednesday showing two of the four suspects near Washington Square Park after they grabbed AirPods from a 20-year-old woman on the afternoon of Feb. 10.

In total, the four men struck at least 21 times between Jan. 28 and Feb. 18 in a theft spree that’s spanned much of the borough, from Tribeca up to Morningside Heights, and many neighborhoods in between.

The suspects operate in two pairs, one on a red moped and the other on a black moped, according to police.

In each theft, the duo rides up to the victim and the passenger hops off and pulls the headphones from their ears before riding off.

The stolen headphones have all been Apple AirPods Max with an average value of $500, according to police.

The victims are both men and women, ranging in age from 18 to 41 years old.

They’ve been jumped in Tribeca, Chelsea, SoHo, the West Village, the East Village, Gramercy, Kips Bay, Midtown, the Upper East Side, Morningside Heights, and on East Drive in Central Park.

The crooks struck five times on Feb. 8 and three times on Feb. 9, snatching up AirPods in Chelsea, Tribeca and across Greenwich Village. But their largest haul was on Feb. 18, when they snatched eight pairs of headphones, including in Midtown, on the Upper East Side and uptown near Columbia University.

Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.

The video footage is unfortunately shot on potatocam.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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