OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
4:23 PM – Monday, February 5, 2024
Three male migrants have now been detained in the Bronx, New York, after they committed a citywide crime wave that included stealing cell phones and wallets from unsuspecting women.
On Monday, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) arrested three illegal migrants after they reportedly went on a lengthy crime spree where they stole wallets and cell phones from approximately 62 women across the city.
Police say that the illegal migrants are Venezuelan, but there are no reports yet related to when they initially arrived to the city.
In addition, authorities believe that the suspects were stealing the cellphones in order to gain access to Apple Pay or Cash App money applications and then made purchases with the credit cards or bank-connected phones.
According to the NYPD, the migrants were arrested in a suspected “safe house near the Bronx” after performing a search warrant.
The migrants are now expected to be charged with several robberies and grand larcenies. Additional potential suspects who were involved in the operation are also still being searched for.
“Most migrants come to NYC in search of a better life. Sadly, some come to commit crime,” NYPD Assistant Commissioner Kaz Daughtry wrote on X. “Today we made tremendous progress in the largest robbery pattern plaguing our city. Our message is simple — commit a crime in our city and we will find you and bring you to justice!”
Mayor Eric Adams (D-N.Y.) appeared at a press conference with police and made a statement regarding the situation, maintaining that this incident is “not about migrants and asylum seekers.”
“This isn’t about the migrants and asylum seekers, this is about those who break the law. It doesn’t matter where you’re from and where you came from,” Adams stated.
According to Officer Nicholas Fiore, the group’s “ringleader,” Victor Parra, is still being sought after by police for allegedly finding migrants to perform “his dirty work” for him.
“He’s the big target. [He] has caused a lot of problems in New York City,” Fiore said.
The NYPD announced on Monday that the mastermind managing the crime spree from his Bronx apartment has been connected to the 62 cellphone thefts from women that have occurred on the streets and in the subway system. Parra, who is still wanted, had been operating a sophisticated criminal organization using mostly incoming migrants who were residing in the city.
“They use social media platforms to organize and coordinate their thefts. This is how they operate. The leader of the crew identified as Victor Parra will blast out a message via WhatsApp that he’s looking for phones,” Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny announced.
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