iPhone-related thefts are up 44 percent this year, but that doesn't really seem to bother Mayor Bloomberg. At his budget announcement yesterday Hizzoner was asked about the spike in crime and replied nonchalantly that, "If the worst problem we have is iPhone stealing..." Then he turned to the police commissioner added, "Ray, you’d better get on this iPhone right away. This is serious!" Somehow we suspect the parents of the chef killed for his iPhone, or the teen stabbed in the face for his, or the 81-year-old pushed in the subway tracks for his, wouldn't appreciate the mayor's tone. more ›

On the heels of yet another person killed for their iPhone, the Daily News learns that thefts of the devices (along with iPads) have risen 44% from last year. NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and Senator Charles Schumer announced an initiative last week that would build a database of ID numbers for phones so that they can be tracked, as currently all criminals have to do is remove the SIM card to resell them. But whether it's through a popular app or transit stings, police are fighting back: just yesterday cops arrested a man for stealing people's phones while they slept. more ›

The NYPD and the MTA constantly remind New Yorkers to stay alert when wandering around in a daze wearing headphones listening to music on their iPhones and other devices. But it's hard to hear such warnings when when you're kicking a wicked air drum solo to Rush's "Tom Sawyer" cranking full blast on your iPod. Even more seductive are the lush orchestral indie rock stylings of Andrew Bird, as one area fan learned after getting relieved of his iPhone Tuesday morning. more ›

Authorities shut down two subway lines under Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn last night after an iPhone thief dashed into the tunnel. The Post reports that a 19-year-old suspect allegedly stole the phone from a woman waiting for the R train at around 6:40 p.m., and ran down the tunnel. The woman, who was probably seconds away from crushing her opponents in Words With Friends, chased the man down the tracks. more ›

Apple products are, undoubtably, hot these days. And hot Apple products are worth a lot in the secondary market. Just ask all those subway iPhone grabbers. And with the next Apple product still under wraps, it seems that thieves are making do stealing Apple wares off of international flights and off of UPS trucks! more ›

Just a week after the NYPD announced that iPhones—especially the iPhone 4—are targets for subway thefts, the cops announce that they arrested a man for stealing an iPhone 4 on a 4 train. And the iPhone 4's owner turned out to be an undercover cop. Kasseim Thomas, 47, was busted in the Bronx, but cops started noticing him when he was getting on and off a train at 59th Street and Lexington—Lt. Kevin Callaghan said, "That raised our suspicion level. That's how pickpockets work on the trains." more ›

NYC the Blog details a mugging on 145h Street in Harlem. When a man was leaving the subway station, one person grabbed his iPhone, a second assailant tried to steal his wallet, and a third punched him and punched him again when he was lying on the ground. Luckily, a passer-by yelled, called the police (the perps fled) and helped the victim. The passer-by also asked, "I thought this area was getting better?" but the cop responded, "No. And unfortunately, this tends to happen a lot, and often they will pick on people who look like they don't live in the neighborhood." The cop also mentioned a man, who had been mugged three times, called the precinct to ask for the police to escort him since he's so scared: "The officer responded slightly sheepishly, 'we don't do that,' suggesting instead that 'he move out of the neighborhood.'" more ›