A group of migrants went into Bloomingdale’s in Manhattan and attempted to steal a collection of high-end Versace, Dior, and Prada designer sunglasses worth $5,300.
About 15 asylum-seekers entered the store around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, grabbed over a dozen expensive sunglasses, and tried to escape.
An alert police officer, working at the store, managed to catch one of the thieves, identified as Steven Matos, 23, who was charged with robbery and other offenses. The police recovered 10 pairs of Versace glasses, two pairs of Prada, and one pair of Christian Dior.
It’s unclear if the rest of the group got away with more items.
Currently, around 70,000 migrants are being housed and supported by the city, part of the 162,000 who have arrived in the five boroughs since the spring of 2022, according to city officials.
Recently, there has been a troubling trend of organized thefts across the country, where groups of thieves conduct quick grab-and-run heists, making it challenging for retailers to prevent them.
Last week, over 100 troublemakers vandalized a bakery in California before fleeing, leaving the storeowner devastated.