Police: Rash Of E-Bike Thefts On UWS And UES Have Deliverymen Unnerved

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police say deliverymen in upper Manhattan are being targeted for their electric bikes.

Investigators believe the same group of thieves has stolen eight e-bikes over the last few weeks, CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported Sunday.

Surveillance cameras were rolling as a 35-year-old deliveryman secured his electric bike on West 102nd Street off Central Park West. A man comes up from behind him and pushes him to the ground, and then jumps on the e-bike and speeds off.

Maria Santos told CBS2's Sanchez she's surprised to have such a brazen robbery happen right outside her home.

"Because the neighborhood is good. I don't know why," Santos said.

FLASHBACK: CBS2 Investigates: E-Bikes Being Sold, Rented In New York City Despite 11-Year-Old Ban

Police believe a crew of people, captured on video together in a grocery store elevator, is responsible for the robbery and at least seven similar thefts.

The incidents have taken place on both the Upper West Side and Upper East Side of Manhattan. Investigators say four men and one woman, all in their late teens, have been attacking delivery men since mid-September.

The robbers punch or push the delivery person off their e-bike and then take off with the bike, often taking any wallet or cash they have on hand.

Police said one of the deliverymen was cut during an attack, but otherwise there have been no serious injuries.