Nike
Nike, pictured June 15, 2017, was robbed by a mob of shoplifters in the Upper East Side. Getty Images

The New York Police Department (NYPD) is seeking information from public bystanders who may have knowledge of a series of shoplifting events that have plagued two Upper East Side retailers, according to amNewYork. Ten male suspects are wanted for questioning after stealing merchandise from Nike and JackRabbit.

The suspects reportedly hit Nike's Upper East Side location twice in one week. In a combined total, the group managed to steal nearly $6,000 worth of merchandise from Nike and JackRabbit. The thievery occurred in June and July.

Local law enforcement released video Monday from the July 10 shoplifting incident at Nike. In the NYPD's surveillance footage, a group of young males is seen entering Nike with shopping bags in hand. The group is then seen racing out of the store with merchandise. A Nike staff member is also shown in the video attempting to stop the men from leaving the shop, but they were able to exit the store without being caught.

One man who dropped his bag of stolen merch did attempt to retrieve it, but the Nike staff member grabbed it first, which led the suspect to run away. Approximately $2,583 of merchandise was stolen by the shoplifters.

The group of men reportedly applied the same practices to two other shoplifting incidents, but footage for those thefts has yet to be released by local law enforcement.

The Upper East Side Jack Rabbit was robbed in June. The same group of young men entered the sports retailer and took nearly $2015 in merchandise before heading in an unknown direction. The Nike, which was originally robbed July 10, had about $1200 of merchandise stolen by the suspects.

The NYPD provided information to International Business Times Tuesday about the reported crimes that plagued the fitness retailers. The NYPD claimed, "All of the suspects are described as male Blacks, in their teens or early twenties."

The NYPD added, "Anyone with information in regards to these incidents is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline."

The NYPD's hotline can be accessed at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or in Spanish at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Individuals knowledgeable of the crimes are also encouraged to submit information through the Crime Stoppers website or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577.

The NYPD considers the theft pattern to be an act of grand larceny. Grand larceny qualifies as any form of embezzlement, credit card theft or other related crimes. According to NYC-based law firm Crotty & Saland, grand larceny could be punishable with a jail or prison stint, but that isn't always the case in every incident.

"An individual accused of a theft crime in New York such as Embezzlement, Extortion, Shoplifting, Mortgage Fraud, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property or Grand Larceny can face one or a combination of prison, jail, probation, community service or a fine," the firm wrote on its website. "If the defendant is a predicate felon accused of perpetrating a second felony crime within the past ten years, the new felony theft offense will require mandatory imprisonment."

The firm points out that any form of theft that exceeds $3,000 but remains under $50,000 qualifies as a "D" Class Felony, which is what the Upper East Side thefts fall under. Therefore, offenders could face two and one-third to seven years in prison, or alternate sentences (i.e. probation, fines, community service, etc.).

This isn't the first time a standalone Nike store has been hit by shoplifters. A Nike store located in Bucktown — a neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois — was targeted three times in one week by multiple shoplifters in April, according to CBS affiliate WBBM-TV. The shoplifters reportedly "terrorized" the retail staff by pushing and shoving them before placing merchandise into their bags and exiting the store. The suspects were all reported to be in their late teens, early 20s.

A representative from Nike and JackRabbit did not immediately return IBT's request for comment.

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