Mugging on Maplewood Avenue
holy cow" I'm so sorry to hear this. How frightening! That's crazy that no one was out and I hope you're ok. Ugh.
this is terrible. So sorry this happened to you when you are already dealing with so much.
So sorry this happened to you. We all need to use our street smarts when walking around town unfortunately. Still, incidents like this should not keep us cowering behind our locked doors - quite the opposite. We need to get out and claim our sidewalks so that opportunities to perform crimes of opportunity are less likely to occur.
Mrs. GB, sorry to learn what happened to you. There is never an absolute fool-proof way to avoid being victimized in this fashion. But there are some useful tips. The most important thing is that you are largely physically okay; it takes time for the emotional to process. But every incident can be a very useful learning tool. We can never know, but in your situation your handbag could have been a lure. Early Saturday morning, after pay days, means trips to the bank before it closes early. Well-to-do neighborhood means folks have cash.
You did fine, Mrs. GB. Your intuition when you initially noticed the thugs was correct. You want them to take what they want and leave.
www.todaycom: Getting Mugged: A veteran thief tells all
I would rate my relatives and acquaintances who have been mugged in South Orange as having above average "street smarts". When predators set out to get you, there is usually nothing you could have done in advance and few viable options to get out of the situation.
Very sorry to hear about this. Probably the last place where people would think to be cautious, which probably is what the robbers were counting on.
As a parallel, what do we carry with us? I carry my passport for photo ID. How often do I need it......only when traveling for hotels etc. What else? I carry 4 credit cards. I have no idea why. My PNC credit/debit card covers all daily payment needs. That card allows a few thousand in credit which I will never use.
The others stay home now......safe and sound. the trauma to the body and soul is bad enough....but there is more than one way to protect ourselves . This being a family publication I will end there
I'm so sorry! That's terrible. I'm glad that you are mostly okay.
author said:
As a parallel, what do we carry with us? I carry my passport for photo ID. How often do I need it......only when traveling for hotels etc. What else? I carry 4 credit cards. I have no idea why. My PNC credit/debit card covers all daily payment needs. That card allows a few thousand in credit which I will never use.
The others stay home now......safe and sound. the trauma to the body and soul is bad enough....but there is more than one way to protect ourselves . This being a family publication I will end there
I recently got rid of my wallet and now carry only what I need that day. Or for that trip to the store. I don't carry credit cards, license, passports, charge cards, or anything that I don't need for that particular trip out or those particular errands. Everything else is tied up in a rubber band in my desk. I look thru that stack of cards before I leave the house and only take what I need. And leave behind what I don't.
I also got a "front pocket wallet." A wonderful invention that holds cash and a few cards and fits in a man's front pocket.
My concern is less being mugged than losing my wallet through my own stupidity. But limiting what you carry and the front-pocket wallet mitigates the danger and costs of both.
A quick suggestion ( after I say am so sorry this happened.) Everyone should take everything out of the wallet that they do carry, lay all the cards on a Xerox machine and copy , turn them over and photograph the other side. Put this in your desk so if/when you lose your wallet you have a copy of everything that was in it and the numbers to call to replace the cards. Even photos that you have lost can be replaced!
The most valuable item most of us always carry is a phone. For iPhone, people should use Activation Lock. A person in my family did not do this, and when his phone was stolen, he had to worry about personal info that was on the device. Instructions for Activation Lock are at this link:
ml1 said:
The most valuable item most of us always carry is a phone. For iPhone, people should use Activation Lock. A person in my family did not do this, and when his phone was stolen, he had to worry about personal info that was on the device. Instructions for Activation Lock are at this link:
https://support.apple.com/en-u...
... one solution is to go with a basic flip phone. You can still make/receive phone calls while out of the house. There is no personal information on the phone to lose if misplaced or stolen. Phone is easily replaced.
joan_crystal said:
ml1 said:
The most valuable item most of us always carry is a phone. For iPhone, people should use Activation Lock. A person in my family did not do this, and when his phone was stolen, he had to worry about personal info that was on the device. Instructions for Activation Lock are at this link:
https://support.apple.com/en-u...
... one solution is to go with a basic flip phone. You can still make/receive phone calls while out of the house. There is no personal information on the phone to lose if misplaced or stolen. Phone is easily replaced.
It kind of defeats the idea of having a smartphone if you have to leave it home. If everyone used this feature, an iPhone would become a useless item to steal.
Agreed. Someone stole my unlocked iPhone on vacation and I hadn't turned on find my iPhone. I was so pissed at myself. I couldn't have gotten the phone back, but by activating the lock feature I could've remote swiped all the personal info and it would've turned the phone into a fancy paperweight. It's now permanently on lock mode.
joan_crystal said:
ml1 said:
The most valuable item most of us always carry is a phone. For iPhone, people should use Activation Lock. A person in my family did not do this, and when his phone was stolen, he had to worry about personal info that was on the device. Instructions for Activation Lock are at this link:
https://support.apple.com/en-u...
... one solution is to go with a basic flip phone. You can still make/receive phone calls while out of the house. There is no personal information on the phone to lose if misplaced or stolen. Phone is easily replaced.
mtierney said:
you may have alerted a burglar where you stash your stuff
I have 15 watch parakeets trained to chirp an intruder to insanity
ml1 said:
The most valuable item most of us always carry is a phone. For iPhone, people should use Activation Lock. A person in my family did not do this, and when his phone was stolen, he had to worry about personal info that was on the device. Instructions for Activation Lock are at this link:
https://support.apple.com/en-u...
And for Android there are similar apps such as Where's My Droid to track, lock, and erase your phone: (It can also take photos remotely and show you who is looking at your phone).
Jimmy Breslin said that the number one rule of thieves is that nothing is too small to steal. Even if someone realizes that a purse may only have $5 in it, it is a target.
apple44 said:
Jimmy Breslin said that the number one rule of thieves is that nothing is too small to steal. Even if someone realizes that a purse may only have $5 in it, it is a target.
risk/reward.
If none of us is carrying much cash, our phones are set on lock, and our credit cards are chip and PIN, it becomes less attractive to even try to mug someone. We are getting close to a time when robbing someone on the street isn't going to yield much loot.
I wish I were that optimistic. I think there are a lot of desperate people out there, and if they only net $10 or $20 a day, even $5, that's the difference between eating and drinking that day, or getting a pill or a smoke, or not.
apple44 said:
I wish I were that optimistic. I think there are a lot of desperate people out there, and if they only net $10 or $20 a day, even $5, that's the difference between eating and drinking that day, or getting a pill or a smoke, or not.
what if they typically net nothing?
There are days when I leave my office to buy coffee and I have nothing of value in my pockets. I have a phone with Activation Lock enabled and nothing else. We're approaching a time when most people are going to be walking around without carrying anything that would bring value to a robber.
I live very close to the location referenced. I recall leaving and noticing a police car, a white Toyota Prius and what I suspect was you, a man and woman plus the officers that responded. I thought to stop, however it seemed as if all was under control. The Police later came by asking if we had noticed anything.
What was the description of the men in question? How about height / weight? Did you have a chance to make them out? I see people walk on Beach and Maplewood Avenue all the time... sorry this happened to you - thankfully you loss was material alone. A description might help going forward.
I don't entirely disagree with the premise that mugging people is going to have diminished returns as people carry less cash and smartphones get smarter. I'm just pessimistic. Fortunately, most of us don't have direct experience with people who steal just to survive, who are desperate for their next meal or fix of whatever. But their numbers don't seem to be decreasing. So as long as they're out there, we're targets. And if they net nothing from you or me, they'll go after the next target.
LOST:
-You'll pay for the coffee (and everything else) with a chip embedded in your arm.
Caution: graphic surgery pics:
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I was mugged yesterday at 10 am on Maplewood Avenue on a gorgeous, sunny morning when folks would be out mowing their lawns, walking their dogs, jogging & pursuing other routine weekend activities. I had just crossed over Beach Place heading towards the Village & I noticed 2 young men on Beach walking toward Maplewood Avenue wearing hoodies. I thought that was odd since it was so warm out yesterday. A few steps past Beach Place & I was attacked from behind by these same guys who were pulling at my purse. After a very brief struggle to hold on to it, they pushed me to the ground & drove off in a white sedan. There was not a soul around at that moment. This was an example of a crime of opportunity - in that one split second, they took advantage of the fact that no one else was on the street. I'm telling you this to caution you that this type of crime can happen anywhere & anytime & that you must always be vigilant. If something looks odd to you, trust your instincts. The police recovered the car abandoned in Newark with my purse, minus my cash, 2 checks that I was going to deposit, my debit card & my phone. I'm a little banged up but otherwise ok, except that I'm beyond pissed off.
Mrs. GB