A crime spree reminiscent of a Charles Dickens novel is unfolding in New York City, as witnesses report adults directing children, some as young as 10 years old, to steal from businesses.
These pint-sized thieves have been terrorizing bars in Manhattan and Brooklyn for months, starting with snatching money from unattended bags and progressing to stealing cash from open safes. Witnesses have observed adults waiting for the children outside the targeted establishments, leading to comparisons to the story of Oliver Twist.
Jacob Rabinowitz, owner of several bars including Lexington Publick, described the situation as a modern-day Oliver Twist story. He said, "When they go out, there's either a man or a woman waiting for them and directing. These are little kids - this is child abuse!"
The wave of child crime began about eight months ago when two children repeatedly caused trouble at Amsterdam Ale House on the Upper West Side. They started by stealing from unattended bags and escalated to grabbing food off tables, pushing customers, and even brandishing a knife. Whitney Kaufman, a manager at the bar, recounted an incident where an 8-year-old child punched her in the stomach and wielded a knife as a weapon.
On August 13, a young thief stole $600 from an open safe at Upside on Amsterdam. The bar's owner, Stephanie Slone, had previously seen the boy with an older child, both claiming to raise money for their basketball team. Surveillance video showed the boy waiting for the bartender to go to the bathroom before sneaking into the office and stealing the cash. Slone expressed sadness over the situation, believing that the parents were behind the children's actions.
Another incident occurred at Lexington Publick, where a child stole about $700 from the safe. The bar's manager, who wished to remain anonymous, described how the child pretended to go to the bathroom, slipped downstairs to the office, and concealed the money in his waistband. When leaving, the child made an inappropriate comment to the bartender. The manager expressed concern that the children were being sent in with prior knowledge of what to do, possibly with the help of an adult who had scoped out the location beforehand.
Workers at other bars also reported similar incidents, with children scouting the locations before committing thefts. At Washington Commons in Brooklyn, a boy went straight to the basement to check security cameras but left when a bartender started recording him. In another instance, a boy claimed to be fundraising at Chick Chick restaurant before bolting to the basement. Manager Josh Ayers had to physically remove him in the past, and the boy even spat at him.
It is unclear if the same children are involved in all of the incidents, but several bar workers believe they are. The police are investigating two recent safe thefts and whether there is a citywide pattern. While it remains uncertain if there is a gang connection, the investigation is ongoing.
Jacob Rabinowitz, reflecting on the troubling trend, compared it to a time more recent than Oliver Twist's 1830s London, saying, "I haven't seen anything like this since the '80s."
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