A teen that had been busted for snatching chains from elderly women sparked a manhunt in Harlem this morning after he knocked over a police officer and then fled, barefoot and handcuffed, into the subway system, police sources said.
Vincens Vuktilaj, 18, was out on bail after he was arrested Thursday for stealing gold jewelry from two elderly women, sources said.
Cops went to arrest him this morning at his Saint Nicholas Avenue building after he apparently began snatching chains again—but Vuktilaj allegedly knocked over a police officer, and then fled from the building south on Saint Nicholas and into the subway system, sources said.
He took off so quickly that he actually ran out of his sneakers, sources added.
A train conductor spotted him walking on the tracks somewhere between 125th Street and 145th Street.
The 145th Street station was shut down at 10:55 a.m., according to an MTA spokeswoman.
“It was mayhem,” said Tyese McMillan, an MTA worker. “All the people were running out of the station saying, what happened? Police were coming from all directions and they had dogs. Everybody had to get out of the station and they shut off the train.”
Train service was stopped on the A and C line between 59th and 168th Street, as well as on the B train between Brighton Beach and 145th.
The D train was also stopped between the 34th Street station at Herald Square, and the 161st Street stop, according to MTA.
Service resumed shortly before 1 p.m. A police source said cops were riding with train conductors, looking to spot Vuktilaj.
Authorities say Vuktilaj is 5-foot-6, 125 lbs and was last seen wearing a yellow sweater, jeans and black socks.
Cops in the 49th precinct initially nabbed Vuktilaj after sharing intelligence through the Dropbox smartphone app, sources said.
He was charged with two counts of grand larceny and made his bail, set at $2500, on Saturday.
Republished with permission of The New York Post
