Shocking moment brazen thief uses a BLOWTORCH to get to locked-up products on NYC Walgreens

Shocking footage captured the moment a brazen criminal used a blowtorch to steal locked-up products from an NYC Walgreens. 

The store, believed to be in Astoria, Queens, was targeted in the audacious robbery while staff watched on in confusion. 

It is currently unclear if any arrests have been made following the incident, and the thief appeared to make it away with numerous items unimpeded. 

The daring robbery comes a month after New York City Mayor Eric Adams vowed to crack down on retail thefts in the Big Apple, as a crime wave continues to plague businesses in the Dem-run city. 

Shocking footage revealed how an NYC thief stole from a Walgreens using a blowtorch 

Footage of the robbery first saw the criminal set upon a row of products near the entrance of the Walgreens. 

He then fires up a blow torch and melts through the storage locks over the items, before bringing out a bag to snatch up a host of products. 

For well over a minute the thief continues to steal from the store while staff and security guards watch on.

After clearing out a small section of the store, the thief’s brazen attitude was on show again as he picked up a backpack to steal more items before making his escape. 

The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for further information. 

The thief was seen melting through the security locks using the blowtorch, before using several bags to scoop up products while staff watched on 

The incident comes a month after NYC Mayor Eric Adams publicly pledged to bring New York’s retail theft epidemic to an end. 

With the exception of 2020, the total number of citywide shoplifting complaints has increased year over year since 2018, with the largest increase, 44 percent, taking place from 2021 to 2022, according to the mayor’s office.

Citing the dramatic rise in the crime that is costing businesses millions of dollars, Adams held a press conference to announce his crackdown. 

‘Last year alone, 327 repeat offenders were responsible for 30 percent of the more than 22,000 retail thefts across our city,’ Adams said. 

‘This hurt our businesses, our workers, our customers, and our city.’

Adams said the new plan involves a streamlined way for businesses to report shoplifting to the NYPD, establishes a neighborhood retail watch program, and creates specialized task force to respond to shoplifting incidents. 

Retail thefts has been an escalating issue on both coasts of the US, with Democrat-run cities from Philadelphia to California and Oregon hit with crime waves.

One San Francisco Target store was even forced to lock its entire product range behind security glass due to the untamed crime rate. 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has unveiled a new plan to crack down on retail thefts in the Big Apple, citing a dramatic rise in the crime that is costing businesses millions of dollars

In recent months, Walgreens and other drugstores have increased the number of products kept locked behind transparent plastic displays to stop shoplifters getting their hands on everything from razor blades to toothpaste.

Critics say New York’s shoplifting spree is another indicator of America’s lawless, liberal cities, and that New York’s bail reform rules make it harder to keep people accused of nonviolent crimes locked up before trial.

Adams said the new plan will also call for prevention and intervention strategies to address the underlying causes of retail theft.

He added the plan aims to ‘reassure our store owners that we know they are essential to our city, and we have their backs.’