Pregnant Woman Robbed Of iPhone, Chases After Thief In McCarren Park
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A pregnant mother said she was robbed at gunpoint in Williamsburg's McCarren Park earlier this week.
Rachel Massey was pushing her child in a stroller around 5 p.m. Tuesday on Lorimer Street when she said she was approached by a teenage boy who pointed a gun at her chest and demanded her iPhone.
1010 WINS' Al Jones reports
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"Whether it was real or fake, or whether he was going to use it or not, he had a gun in the park," Massey said.
Massey, who is four months pregnant, complied and the teen fled, but then the 36-year-old mother said she did something she admitted may not have been smart, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported.
Massey left her 14-month-old daughter, Olivia, with her sister and took off after the alleged thief.
"I followed him, not with the intent to capture him or do anything heroic, but just to see which direction he went," Massey said. "I was really horrified and I felt like I couldn't just be like, 'Oh, here's my phone, have a nice day.'"
"I think she knew I was there and Olivia was safe, kind of gauged the situation and went on instinct," Maureen Lindmeier said. "I could see how far ahead he was and she was just trying to raise a commotion, which, I think, is not a bad idea."
Massey eventually called out for help and a Good Samaritan confronted the teen, who handed the phone over before running away, Jones reported.
"I mean it could have gone another way. I don't know what I was thinking. Seems like such an intensely stupid thing to do. It was definitely anger first, and then fear came a little bit later," Massey told CBS 2's Sean Hennessey.
Though she said she'd never do something so dangerous again, Massey made it clear what her motivation was.
"I don't want it to be easy for them to do. I don't want it seem so easy to walk over to a mom with a balloon tied to the stroller and just hold a gun to them and ask for their valuables," she said.
"She does have her cell phone back. It is a happy ending, I suppose," Lindmeier added.
Massey said she'll keep coming to the park, but hopes what happened to her is a warning to all that this kind of crime can happen, even in a tranquil park to a pregnant mom.
Police said no arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
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