Vogue has called them the new celebrity "It" item. And lately, police say a roving team of thieves in NYC is using mopeds to snatch and grab the $549 Apple AirPods Max right off the heads of unsuspecting victims.
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- Thieves have stolen Airpods Max straight off 21 people's heads in New York City since January 28, police say.
- The NYPD said that the thieves rode mopeds and snatched the headphones.
- Vogue recently named the headphones the newest celebrity "it" item.
Thieves in New York City are snatching Apple's new AirPods Max headphones off of unsuspecting bystanders and speeding away on mopeds, police say.
Vogue recently named Airpods Max the new celebrity "it" item, with stars like Bella Hadid, Timothée Chalamet, and Sarah Jessica Parker recently sporting the $549 "chunky, oversized flex of the moment," according to the outlet. Described by Vogue as "sort-of impossible to miss," the giant, fluffy headphones are expected to "become the Starbucks cup" of 2023, according to the outlet.
At least 21 people have had their AirPods Max snatched from their heads and stolen by moped-riding thieves since January 28, according to the NYPD.
"All 21 incidents currently reported throughout the borough of Manhattan consist of the individuals riding on mopeds, approaching the victim from behind and removing a pair of Apple Air Pod Max headphones off the victim's head," the NYPD said in a statement provided to Insider. "No injuries have been reported."
Authorities say they are looking for four people who ride one black moped and one red moped in connection with the robberies.
Police described two people sought in connection to the case as "a male with black curly hair, medium complexion, medium build, wearing a black bubble jacket and black pants" and "a male with a slim build, wearing a black helmet, a black hooded jacket, black pants, and tan shoes." Police say surveillance video shows the two men riding mopeds and carrying two pairs of AirPods Max after the thirteenth theft, which occurred on Mercer Street on February 10.