Police are on the hunt for three young men who have spent the last month raiding activewear stores across Brooklyn and Manhattan, making off with a small fortune worth of merchandise.
NYPD
Police are on the hunt for three young men who have spent the last month raiding Lululemon and other luxury activewear stores across Brooklyn and Manhattan in early evening heists, stealing a small fortune worth of merchandise.
During the robbery spree, most of the stores were mere blocks from the L subway line, and the value of the stolen items steadily increased as the men appeared to grow bolder.
According to police sources, the trio has struck at least eight times since early February, targeting Lululemon and Alo for luxury sportswear. In some cases, they hit the same location multiple times.
Cops say the shoplifting binge began just before 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 at the Lululemon located near Union Square at 114 5th Ave. The group walked into the store and snatched clothing from a display case before making a run from it. The items were valued at $3,200.
Police say this Lululemon location on 5th Avenue near Union Square in Manhattan was hit by the shoplifting crew numerous times.Photo via Google Maps
Authorities said they struck again at the same store nearly a week later, just after 6 p.m. on Feb. 12 — grabbing items from a display case valued at $3,920.
They changed things up the following week at 6:40 p.m. on Feb. 18 when they hit the Alo shop in Williamsburg at 241 Bedford Ave. Although the location changed, their modus operandi stayed the same; they stole clothing from a display case, this time valued at $1,334.
Police said the crew then got bolder, striking two days later on Feb. 20, returning to the Union Square Lululemon just after 7:15 p.m. that evening Again, they pulled a stash from a display case, making off with $2,916.
One day later, on Feb. 21, the robbers headed to different Lululemon location, this time in Downtown Brooklyn at 445 Albee Square, just after 6 p.m., and took their biggest haul to date, totaling $4,130.
Becoming more frequent, the men once more returned to the Union Square Lululemon just before 3 p.m. on Feb. 22 — this time taking a whopping $11,000 in goods.
Moving back to Williamsburg on Feb. 24, they wandered into a Lululemon at 97 North 6th St. at 4:15 p.m. and made off with $8,930 in activewear.
Their biggest haul to date came on March 3, when they returned to that same Lululemon just before 4 p.m. and took a staggering $21,000 in high-value items.
All three individuals were seen wearing dark-colored clothing and hooded sweatshirts. Police have released surveillance images of the suspects in hopes they will be recognized.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents or the suspects’ whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.