Two men were arrested in the Bronx as part of a moped-riding migrant gang engaged in brazen street crime by snatching cellphones directly from the hands of New Yorkers. Police sources indicate that the arrested men have already provided information on the group's ringleader.
The two suspects, identified as Cleyber Andrade, 19, and Juan Uzcatgui, 23, are believed to be part of a larger criminal ring. Members of this ring are reportedly linked to at least 62 instances of grand larceny across New York City. Among these incidents is a disturbing caught-on-video heist in which a 62-year-old woman was violently dragged down a street in Brooklyn, according to police sources.
Brazen Street Crime
However, authorities are still looking for the ringleader, a 30-year-old Bronx immigrant from Venezuela named Victor Parra, who was released from custody in December after being charged with grand larceny, according to sources.
Inspector Nicholas Fiore of the NYPD stated during a press conference on Monday that Parra has persuaded people to "go do his dirty work to grab phones and stuff."
"He's the big target," Fiore said in a video posted to X. "He's caused a lot of problems in New York City. And hopefully we'll grab him, we get some headway on this."
The NYPD outlined the gang's brutal tactics in a video clip of a moped-borne robber dragging 62-year-old Irina Panteleeva across the sidewalk in front of Bay Gourmet Deli Juice Bar on Sheepshead Bay Road, just three days after Christmas.
The robbers successfully escaped with Panteleeva's bag, keys, phone, credit cards, and glasses, all while she was in mid-air, eventually colliding with a metal bike rack.
"I feel bad, I feel bad," Panteleeva told The New York Post over the phone. "The thieves stole my bag."
Nesat Mamudoski, 69, the building superintendent, told the outlet that the victim, visibly bruised and battered, was in a state of fear after the assault. Mamudoski assisted by changing the locks to her apartment in response to the incident.
"She's a nice lady, a good person," Mamudoski said of Panteleeva, adding that her attackers "scumbags."
"I came here 44 years ago from Yugoslavia and I had respect for the USA," he said. "Not like these thieves."
Police Desperate to Arrest Gang Leader
On Monday, authorities aimed to arrest the mastermind after Andrade and Uzcatgui provided information leading to his identification, as per sources.
Also, law enforcement has identified six other individuals linked to the criminal ring: Yan Jimenez, 25, residing in Manhattan; Anthony Ramos, 21, also from Manhattan; Richard Saledo, 21, from the Bronx; Beike Jimenez, 21, from the Bronx; Maria Manaura, 32, from Manhattan; and Samuel Castro, 27, from Queens, according to sources.
All have prior grand larceny arrests related to the alleged conspiracy, which has been causing havoc in the city since approximately mid-November.
However, all are currently free without bail as they await their upcoming court dates, according to sources.
During a distinct press conference at One Police Plaza on Monday, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said that the accused men are part of a "sophisticated criminal enterprise" comprised of recently arrived immigrants.
Parra, who reportedly entered the US in 2023, allegedly directed specific orders to members of his 14-person crew, instructing them on the type of phone he was targeting in their criminal activities.
"Parra will blast out a message via WhatsApp that he is looking for phones," Kenny said. "And then the text will say, 'I have money, I'm available, go get 'em.'"
Scooter drivers make $100 a day, and those responsible for stealing phones could make $300 to $600 for each stolen device, as reported by law enforcement.
Upon obtaining the stolen phones, Parra allegedly had a hacker infiltrate financial or banking apps to facilitate fraudulent purchases, according to statements by Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny.
After exploiting their victims, Parra orchestrated the shipment of the stolen phones to buyers located in cities such as Miami or Houston, as well as foreign countries like Colombia or Venezuela, according to police officials.
"This network of thieves predominantly live in the migrant shelter system," Kenny said. "They use social media platforms to organize and coordinate this. This is how they operate.
Police have linked 62 incidents across the city to the group, but they believe the gang could be connected to as many as 150 incidents.
