75-year-old woman charged in East Harlem pickpocketing incident: NYPD

EAST HARLEM - Pickpocketing is still a major problem in New York City, and a recent victim is speaking out to raise awareness. 

Speaking to FOX 5 NY, the woman, who did not want to reveal her identity, is warning her fellow New Yorkers that they need to be vigilant and protect themselves from these crimes.

According to the victim, she and her mother were shopping inside an East Harlem grocery store on March 31 when a group of women got a little too close to them in the produce section.

"There was an elderly lady who kept rubbing up against me," the victim said. "Supposedly she drops something on the floor. That was her way of trying to make like she was doing something, so she could reach into my purse."

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The victim believes the elderly lady was joined by two younger women, all of whom can be seen in surveillance footage of the incident, who surrounded her as if they were shopping for produce. One distracted her, while the other stole her wallet, containing $300, from inside her purse.

Thankfully, the surveillance footage helped the police make an arrest. Michelle Chacon, a 75-year-old from Corona Queens, was charged with grand larceny. Shockingly, this was not her first time being arrested for the same crime. She was previously arrested for grand larceny in 2000 and 2001.

According to the NYPD, grand larceny reports rose slightly in March

While the quick arrest of the suspect was of some comfort, the victim told FOX 5 NY that she still feels violated. 

"I'm blaming myself for not being aware," she said.