NYPD: Group of thieves on mopeds targeting people with high-priced headphones
NEW YORK -- Expensive headphones are being stolen right off people's heads in Manhattan, and police say it's the work of moped-riding thieves who have struck more than 20 times in the past month.
There's a reason a man is seen on video having not one, but two pricey AirPod Max headphones over his arm, according to police.
Investigators released the footage identifying him as a suspect working in a group roaming Manhattan and using mopeds to help steal the headphones, which retail for about $550.
"Expensive, the brand, everybody kind of wants them," Riverdale resident Joseph Chinea said.
READ MORE: Police searching for moped riding suspects behind AirPod robbery spree
The band of thieves keeps coming back again and again. Police said they have hit 22 times in just in the past month near NYU and Washington Square Park, and Chelsea and Central Park.
Four moped-riding suspects are being hunted by police, who said they usually strike during mid-afternoon.
Their victims range in age from 18 to 41. So far, no one has been injured.
One woman named Maria, who asked CBS2 not share her name, had her headphones and a bracelet stolen in a similar way about a year ago.
"It was so crazy. I felt hunted," Maria said. "One was in the front and one was right next to me, and I guess if I didn't let it go they were gonna do something, so I just ran."
CBS2 asked the owners of expensive headphones what, if anything, they do to stay safe when wearing them.
"I don't wear mine out. I use them for like work and for stuff and indoors," a woman named Bella said.
"Personally, I would keep taking the chance and I'm comfortable walking the streets most nights," SoHo resident Kieran Garvey added.
"We have our ears to the radios city-wide to determine the route in which these individuals are going to and from the incident," Chief of Transportation Kim Royster said. "We do shut down the highways, the bridges that they may take, as well as roadways."
The priority is to catch criminals, and quickly, before someone gets hurt
