iPhone Attack and Mugging on Ditmas and Ocean Avenues

Alexandra wrote in to tell us about a recent mugging in the neighborhood.

Last Friday, my neighbor was walking home at 5:00 in the afternoon when a man came up from behind her and covered her eyes. He proceeded to grab her by the hair and throw her down to the pavement — running away with her iPhone. She was on Ditmas between East 19th and Ocean. She thinks she was followed for a few blocks and then attacked.

She also thinks that the attacker had a point person looking out. When she got up, a man approached her and asked if she was okay and then proceeded to “jog off” after the attacker, but never came back. Unfortunately, because of the way she was attacked, she didn’t get a look at his face. She knows that he was African American with a slender build and about 5’11” or so.

At the recent Community Board 14 meeting, Deputy Inspector Eric Rodriguez urged everyone to be extraordinarily careful with their electronics in public. They are high priority targets from criminals. Those of us using electronics are generally not paying a great deal of attention to our surroundings.

Alexandra continued:

She did speak to the police, who were of little help. At the end of the day, it was a stolen phone. What’s more scary was the assault to get it. Regarding my neighbor, she’s okay. She’s dealing with whiplash from the way he grabbed her and is very shaken, but she’ll be fine.

If you’ve witnessed a crime, report it to the police and then, if you’d like to alert the neighborhood, email us at ditmasparkcorner@gmail.com.