Shocking moment shoplifter knocks 77-year-old woman unconscious in Manhattan Barnes & Noble

A shoplifter knocked a 77-year-old woman unconscious as he made a mad dash from a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Manhattan on Saturday with just $35 in stolen Funko Pop! toys in a shocking moment that was caught on surveillance video. 

New York City Police released footage that shows the thief running out the door after he snatched the popular collectibles from a display inside the Union Square location around 12:20 p.m. 

When loss prevention employees tried to stop him, the brazen thief forced his way through and slammed into the unidentified elderly woman walking into the store. 

The woman was knocked unconscious and rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where she has a head injury and is listed in stable condition.

Police released video and photos of the shocking moment a brazen shoplifter knocked a 77-year-old woman unconscious as he made a mad dash from a Barnes & Noble in Manhattan

Video shows the suspect as he snatches $35 in stolen Funko Pop! toys from a display inside the Union Square location around 12:20 p.m. on Saturday and fled the store

Video shows the suspect as he snatches $35 in stolen Funko Pop! toys from a display inside the Union Square location around 12:20 p.m. on Saturday and fled the store

Video footage released by the NYPD on Sunday shows as the theft unfolds with what appears to be the suspect casually browsing the multi-level bookstore at the East 17th Street location on the edge of Union Square. 

The suspect walks slowly around a display of Funko Pop! toys before carefully selecting one from the bottom shelf and another from the top before walking off. 

The video cuts to the suspect holding his bag open as he’s being confronted by a loss prevention worker at the entrance of the store. 

He then suddenly dashes off and forcibly pushes through people walking into the store, knocking the 77-year-old woman to the ground. 

The woman, who has not been identified, was rushed to the hospital with a head injury.  

The suspect walks slowly around a display of Funko Pop! toys before carefully selecting one from the bottom shelf and another from the top before walking off

The suspect walks slowly around a display of Funko Pop! toys before carefully selecting one from the bottom shelf and another from the top before walking off

The man is seen on video as he makes his selection and casually walks away from the display

The man is seen on video as he makes his selection and casually walks away from the display

He then suddenly dashes off and forcibly pushes through people walking into the store

He then suddenly dashes off and forcibly pushes through people walking into the store

Loss prevention workers attempt to grab the suspect as he flees from the store with stolen toys

Loss prevention workers attempt to grab the suspect as he flees from the store with stolen toys

The  brazen thief slammed into the unidentified elderly woman who was just walking into the store, knocking her flat on her back

The  brazen thief slammed into the unidentified elderly woman who was just walking into the store, knocking her flat on her back

The woman, who has not been identified, is seen lying on her back after being knocked to the ground by  the shoplifter who slammed into her. She rushed to the hospital

The woman, who has not been identified, is seen lying on her back after being knocked to the ground by  the shoplifter who slammed into her. She rushed to the hospital

Police say the suspect fled south in Union Square then turned east onto East 15th Street toward Irving Place. They’re hoping the video will help them nab the thief. 

The suspect was last seen wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and gray sneakers and carrying a black bag. He’s described as being in his 20s with black hair, facial hair and is about 5-foot-3 tall with a medium build, police said. 

Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers. 

The brazen theft comes as crime continues to be a huge problem in the Big Apple under new Mayor Eric Adams, who ran on a promise to stop rising crime. 

Overall crime is up over 35 percent from this point in 2021, with only murders and shootings down from last year. 

This comes as crime continues to be a huge problem in the Big Apple under new Mayor Eric Adams, who ran on a promise to stop rising crime

This comes as crime continues to be a huge problem in the Big Apple under new Mayor Eric Adams, who ran on a promise to stop rising crime

Stores in the city’s West Village and SoHo have become rampant with thieves in recent months – including when a gang of seven were recorded calmly walking out of Lululemon with $30,000 worth of gear.

They entered the store on 14th Street and 9th Avenue with empty carts and laundry bags while the guard casually glanced over as they grabbed piles of clothing on August 16.

The brazen robbers, targeting the posh West Village neighborhood, rushed out of the store with their finds – without being apprehended by the security guard. 

Store surveillance footage showed the thieves walk in and out the store around noon – looting thousands of dollars worth of merchandise as the seemingly unbothered guard, dressed in a white shirt and black tie, stood by. 

A string of West Village and SoHo clothing robberies took place from July 3 until July 23, often between closing times. These stores are: Loro Piana, Christian Louboutin, A.P.C., Scotch  Soda, Rag & Bone, Meermin Shoes and Bonobos

A string of West Village and SoHo clothing robberies took place from July 3 until July 23, often between closing times. These stores are: Loro Piana, Christian Louboutin, A.P.C., Scotch  Soda, Rag & Bone, Meermin Shoes and Bonobos

One man who entered the Lululemon store in July filled his basket with clothes and walked out

One man who entered the Lululemon store in July filled his basket with clothes and walked out

But violence is also on the rise in New York City.

A 21-year-old visiting the Big Apple from St. Louis just last week was hoodwinked and then raped by a man offering to help her in a subway station at Times Square.

The woman was at the hub at the 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue station on September 1 at around 3 a.m. when her attacker showed up.

The man initially struck up a conversation and said he was going to help show her around the station, which leads to several lines on the New York City subway.

After riding with her to a few stations before stopping at an ending location, he brought her to the end of a platform near a tunnel and raped her, according to the NYPD. 

The 21-year-old victim was sent to Bellevue Hospital for treatment after the assault. Her condition is unclear.

The NYPD put out an artist's sketch of him on late Thursday, describing the unidentified man as dark-skinned, with facial hair and a forehead scar

The NYPD put out an artist’s sketch of him on late Thursday, describing the unidentified man as dark-skinned, with facial hair and a forehead scar

A 21-year-old visiting New York City from St. Louis was hoodwinked and then raped by a man offering to help her in a subway station at Times Square as crime continues to be a problem

A 21-year-old visiting New York City from St. Louis was hoodwinked and then raped by a man offering to help her in a subway station at Times Square as crime continues to be a problem

The woman was at the hub at the 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue station on September 1 at around 3 a.m. when her attacker showed up

The woman was at the hub at the 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue station on September 1 at around 3 a.m. when her attacker showed up

The alleged attacker was still at large as of Sunday morning.

The NYPD put out an artist’s sketch of him late Thursday, describing the unidentified man as dark-skinned, with facial hair and a forehead scar. 

He was last seen wearing burgundy and gold shorts, as well as black and white Crocs. 

This comes as crime continues to be a huge problem in the Big Apple under new Mayor Eric Adams, who ran on a promise to stop rising crime. 

Rapes are up 9.9 percent in New York City through September 4 compared to the already high rates in 2021.

In Manhattan’s busy Union Square – in the same area of the bookstore theft – the park surrounded by shops and restaurants continues drug addicts have been seen shooting up in broad daylight. 

Two women were spotted shooting up drugs on the stairs near the subway station, while a homeless man was seen touching himself while sitting on the steps of the Prince St subway station in trendy Soho at 10am in the morning. 

Photos and videos show the scantly-clad pair in Union Square – one with electric blue hair – casually injecting themselves with an unknown substance next to a Citi bike. Despite sitting behind a structure, the vagrant duo could be seen by horrified tourists and passersby as they injected themselves with drugs. 

Photos and videos show the scantly-clad pair in Union Square - one with electric blue hair - casually injecting themselves with an unknown substance next to a Citi bike

Photos and videos show the scantly-clad pair in Union Square – one with electric blue hair – casually injecting themselves with an unknown substance next to a Citi bike

The were shooting up with the syringe for nearly 30 minutes, and no one questioned or attempted to tell law enforcement, according to witnesses. 

In Soho, a homeless man in a black jacket, shot eerie looks at people walking up the steps of the subway as he touched himself inappropriately. He refused to move from the spot despite innocent bystanders realizing what he was doing.    

Parts of the city are said to have become ’24-hour drug and sex dens’ as delinquents take to the streets to deal and do drugs. 

In Manhattan’s trendy Chelsea neighborhood, children have allegedly become exposed to nudity, sex acts and drug use while business owners deal with constant break-ins. 

Some said they are begging city officials and the police department to do something.

In May, photos and video of the men lying on Park Avenue between East 115th Street and East 116 Street outside a popular marketplace showed men casually using needles to inject drugs into their arms.

The men were seen sitting underneath the railway surrounded by bags of their belongings and an overturned Citi bike, and photos of the block the following day show even more men shooting up drugs at the site. 

Two men were pictured on May 28 taking drugs in East Harlem's La Marqueta marketplace

Two men were pictured on May 28 taking drugs in East Harlem’s La Marqueta marketplace

Seven men were pictured at the same spot taking drugs together in East Harlem in May

Seven men were pictured at the same spot taking drugs together in East Harlem in May

One of the men removed his shoe so he could inject his foot in order to get high

One of the men removed his shoe so he could inject his foot in order to get high

Major crimes in NYC have risen approximately 35 percent, according to NYPD data, an increase that has been mainly boosted by grand larcenies, robberies and auto thefts.

Subway crime has also been a particular problem for New York City, according to the police and the MTA. 

Hammer attacks, feces smearing, fatal shovings and a smoke bomb-mass shootings have become risks for those traversing city public transportation.

Adams indicated last month that he doesn’t plan to stop talking about the crime in the Big Apple, and said ‘I’m not going to be inconsistent and not talk about the violence that has happened in our cities every day.’

Adams emphasized the necessity of preventative measures rather than reactive measures, and said ‘by the time a child picks up a gun, we’ve already lost.’

The Mayor said reforming a system takes time, and ‘when you look at how to reform a system, you don’t destroy a system.’

Adams has been a vociferous supporter of an expansion in the city’s police presence since becoming mayor in 2021, doubling the number of cops on the city’s subway and bringing back plain-clothes officers in new Neighborhood Safety Teams.

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