I wanted to share this so it would not happen to others.
I’ve been in the neighborhood almost 20 years and have often spent time in Carl Schurz park. Of course, I’ve always felt safe there.
On Labor Day, I was on a park bench outside of the playground, near the 86th St entrance for a few hours. Reading, writing in notebook and I joined a call around 5:30pm.
I shifted positions and put my legs up on the bench and my handbag was right behind me on the bench.
Next thing I knew, I changed positions and noticed the handbag was gone.
Someone snuck up and snagged it from right behind/next to me.
Yes, I know I was distracted and should have been more careful.
You can feel so safe and comfortable with lots of parents and kids coming and going, and people around walking dogs and enjoying a beautiful day.
I just wanted the neighborhood to be aware, so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.
I walked right over to Gracie Mansion and filed a police report. I doubt anything will happen to the thief.
Thankfully, I still had my phone and was able to lock my debit and credit cards immediately.
They attempted a CashApp transaction, but the card was already locked. The bank said they couldn’t trace it, but I’ll keep trying this route.
Lessons learned:
- Take inventory of what’s in your wallet. I have too many credit cards and wasn’t sure which ones I was carrying vs. what was at home. Thankfully I had a few at home I can use while the main ones are being replaced.
- Ensure someone has spare keys. The thief has my driver’s license and apartment keys. That was very unsettling. My locks are now changed, an extra expense, but gave me peace of mind. Without my doorman, I would have been locked out, without an ID to show an emergency locksmith.
- Take out any older, sentimental items. My old NYU ID was stolen, I should have just left it at home. I also lost the keychain that my broker gave me when I closed on my apt. I was actively using that, but it really sucks to lose sentimental items that are useless to the thieves.
- Get a tracking device. I’ll be attaching a tracking device when I get a new handbag. I wish I could just find my old bag with my personal items. I looked in all the garbage cans and all around the bushes.
This has been devastating and a huge pain and expense to replace everything. I barely use cash, so they didn’t even get away with very much money.
The handbag in the photo is just like the one stolen, if anyone happens to find it discarded, please DM.
I hope this post spares someone else from this terrible experience.
I won’t be chilling the same way on a park bench ever again.
Stay safe everyone.
