Tip Jar Thief Targets Astoria Restaurants, Business Owners Say

ASTORIA, QUEENS — A woman is raiding the tip jars of Astoria restaurants and cafes that are still open amid the coronavirus pandemic, business owners say.

At least five eateries across the Queens neighborhood reported on social media or to police that the woman stole cash from their tip jars over the last few weeks.

In King of Falafel, a surveillance camera caught the woman emptying the restaurant's tip jar of about $80 to $90 dollars around closing time on April 12, according to owner Freddy Zeideia, who shared the video with Patch.

"It's the principle," Zeideia told Patch in a phone interview. "After 12 hours, for that whole thing to disappear, how do you expect that kid to feel?"

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The owners of Fitrition Juice Bar, which has locations on Steinway Street and Astoria Boulevard, and Bagels & Brew on Broadway are among those who have spotted the same woman stealing from their tip jars, according to social media posts.

The woman has twice stolen tips from Martha's Country Bakery on Ditmars Boulevard, according to surveillance images shared with the blog Give Me Astoria.

At New York Bakery Café at 32-06 30th Ave., an employee told police that a woman with long blonde hair had stolen $20 worth of tips the morning of March 23. An NYPD spokesperson declined to confirm whether the same woman was responsible because the incident is still under investigation.

Most of the Astoria businesses that have posted about getting tips stolen have no police report on file, according to NYPD Detective Denise Moroney, a police spokesperson, who encouraged business owners to notify police of any thefts.

To King of Falafel's Zeideia, the tip thefts add insult to injury at a time when restaurant owners and workers are struggling to make a living while protecting themselves from the new coronavirus.

"All of us are taking a chance coming out every day," Zeideia said.

The NYPD encourages anyone with information about the tip jar thefts to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The NYPD's 114th Precinct Detective Squad can be reached at (718) 626-9334.

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