Footage shows how a repeat subway violator was chased and arrested by some well-placed cops after snatching a woman’s purse in New York.
The incident occurred when the 6 train arrived at the 59th Street station in Manhattan on Saturday and saw a suspect, Alex Martinez, 41, quickly arrested.
It happened around 1 a.m., after the defendant got into a fight with the 23-year-old victim while he was trying to escape with the bag.
He made the attempt as the southbound train pulled into the station, police said, but was instantly thwarted by some “strategically deployed” patrol officers.
They are seen chasing Martínez as he tries to flee the station, before subduing him on the stairs and returning the bag to its rightful owner. The New York City Police Department’s official X account shared the shocking images on Monday, while promoting the successful arrest.
“In a matter of seconds, a repeat thief, who had been arrested last year for a similar incident, recently snatched a woman’s purse while riding the train,” NYPD chiefs wrote.
‘Fortunately, strategically deployed @NYPDTransit officers pursued and arrested the man.
‘Look at the video [below]“the officials instructed.
In a subsequent post, NYPD Traffic Chief Michael Kemper celebrated the officers’ actions, saying they did an “exceptional job.”
He also revealed how Martinez “is WELL KNOWN in the NYPD,” stylizing the last part of the reveal in all caps.
“Last Saturday… just after 1:00 am… 59th Street Station in Manhattan: Transit Police Officers (TPF) were patrolling the station when they observed a man running off a train with a woman chasing him,” the top traffic police officer wrote.
‘It turns out that the man simply snatched the woman’s purse as the train arrived at the station.
‘Without hesitation, [the officers] “They pursued him… apprehending and arresting him,” Kemper continued.
He continued to reassure him: ‘And yes, [the victim’s] The stolen purse was returned to her.
“In a matter of seconds, a repeat thief, who had been arrested last year for a similar incident, recently snatched a woman’s purse while riding the train,” the NYPD chief wrote in a post for X sharing the images.
‘Fortunately, strategically deployed @NYPDTransit officers pursued and arrested the man.
![. 'Look at the video [below]“the officials instructed.](https://wtsn2.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712735567_749_Finally-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time-New.jpg "Finally in the right place at the right time! New York police catch a serial purse thief on the subway after he tried to run off the train with a woman's purse while they were patrolling the platform. 35")
. ‘Look at the video [below]“the officials instructed.
As for the perpetrator, Kemper confirmed on Monday that he had an active arrest warrant, along with a pending court case for another grand larceny arrest that occurred at another Manhattan subway station in October 2023.
In this case, he was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, the NYPD said, after he was filmed dropping the bag while officers chased him.
The moving footage shows how officers managed to catch up with the thief in seconds, chasing him along the platform and over the turnstiles, before stopping him halfway up one of the station’s stairs.
‘Hey, get off!’ exclaims one of the officers in the clip, which lasts a total of 48 seconds and is sure to inject any viewer with a not-so-healthy dose of adrenaline.
‘What did I do?’ Martínez asks, a question the police seem to ignore as they put bracelets on him.
Records indicate he has since been transferred to the Eric M. Taylor Center on Riker’s Island, with bail currently set at $20,000.
He currently has a court date scheduled for Thursday where he will be arraigned on the two felony charges.
The incident is just the latest to hit the city’s notoriously beleaguered transportation system, where subway crime in particular is labeled as one of the city’s biggest crises.
In a subsequent post, NYPD Traffic Chief Michael Kemper, seen here after another incident involving a repeat offender late last year, celebrated the officers’ actions, saying they did an “exceptional job “.
Statistics suggest that traffic violations have decreased slightly, but even progressive Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg chose a few words about the state of the city’s platforms and tunnels when asked late last year.
“I know the statistics, that traffic crimes have decreased, but when one of my relatives gets on the train, I also get a knot in my stomach,” he said. FOX 5 News when asked about the perception that the subway system is becoming increasingly unsafe.
“I live here, I raise my family here, so we have a lot more work to do,” declared the legislator at the time, often criticized for lax laws that can embolden repeat offenders.
Months later, unsolved subway-related incidents remain a problem, such as an assault that took place a day later a station away.
There, at 4:45 a.m., as a northbound E train approached East 53rd and Lex on Sunday, several suspects were seen stabbing a victim with a knife before fleeing on foot.
A surveillance photo of one of the fugitive men was posted on the department’s social media accounts.
Months later, unsolved subway-related incidents remain a problem, such as an assault that took place a day later a station away.
In another incident, which occurred early last month, another suspect approached a 49-year-old woman on a southbound 4 train as it arrived at the 86th and Lexington subway station, placing his penis on her arm.
In October, another repeat offender, Sabir Jones, 39, punched and pushed a woman onto the subway tracks at 53rd Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The victim suffered a critical head injury. Jones managed to avoid officers for a few days, but was arrested that month. He now also resides on Ryker’s Island.
In another incident, which occurred early last month, another suspicious man approached a 49-year-old woman on a southbound 4 train as it arrived at the 86th and Lexington subway station and put his penis on her arm.
In that case, a surveillance image of the suspect was recorded, but he remains at large.
In October, another repeat offender, Sabir Jones, 39, punched and pushed a woman onto the subway tracks at 53rd Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
The victim suffered a critical head injury. Jones managed to avoid officers for a few days, but was arrested that month. He now also resides on Ryker’s Island, records show.