This is the moment a bike-riding thief snatches a phone from a woman in London before speeding away through a red light.
The brazen theft occurred on Wednesday in Marylebone, a hotspot for phone snatching where devices are reported stolen on a daily basis.
Footage captured by an onlooker shows the masked e-bike rider zooming down a busy street at around 8am this morning, before spotting an oblivious woman scrolling through her device on the opposite pavement.
He then quickly performs a U-turn and mounts the curb before swiping the phone from the victim’s hand as she stands in horror.
As commuters are seen making their way to work, the thief then disappears out of shot as he weaves in and out of traffic and through a red light.
The clip was taken by content creator @hassuna_mousa, who explained the incident in an Instagram caption.
He wrote: ‘Another mobile phone theft in the Marylebone area. According to local workers and delivery drivers who operate in this area every day, these phone thieves continue to target people on a daily basis, especially during the morning hours.
‘If you regularly pass through this part of London, please stay alert. Avoid using your phone while distracted in public places and take extra care during the morning.’
The masked e-bike rider zoomed down a busy street at around 8am this morning, before spotting an oblivious woman scrolling through her device on the opposite pavement
He then quickly performs a U-turn and mounts the curb before swiping the phone from the victim’s hand as she stands in horror
As commuters are seen making their way to work, the thief then disappears out of shot as he weaves in and out of traffic and makes his way towards a red light
Nearly a third of all phone thefts (18,932) in London last year were reported in Westminster, where Marylebone is situated, making it the worst affected borough for the crime.
Trailing behind the central London zone were the boroughs of Camden (5,276), Southwark (5,276) and Hackney (3,977).
The figures meanwhile also revealed that a staggering 67,063 phone snatching offences were recorded in the entirety of the capital last year.
The crime has effectively been ‘decriminalised’, a home affairs spokesman said.
Almost nine in ten cases were closed without a suspect being identified – and just 0.82 per cent of such crimes led to a charge across 17 police forces in England and Wales in 2024-25.
The spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, the party which obtained the figures, said: ‘People could be forgiven for concluding phone theft has been effectively decriminalised.
They added: ‘Criminal gangs are feeling emboldened to strike in broad daylight, safe in the knowledge they have a less than 1 per cent chance of ever being caught.’
It is understood that children – some as young as 13 – are being enlisted by gangs to par-take in the high-speed thefts, with the teens reportedly paid as much as £200 per phone they snatch.
But in an attempt to crack down on the crimewave, the Met Police revealed earlier this year that it is using Sur-Ron electronic bikes, heat-seeking drones and live facial recognition to target thieves.
The tech is operated by plain clothes officers and specialist interceptor teams as part of ‘Operation Catchclaw’.
The operation is said to be working alongside charities to help rehabilitate young people and steer them away from this lifestyle.
Phone offences indeed dropped by 13,000 offences in the 12 months prior to April 2026.
Detective Superintendent Gareth Gilbert said: ‘What we realise is it’s not a one-off operation because if we arrest someone, there are the people who see the lucrative market in these phones so they will fill that vacuum.
‘This is an ongoing piece where we are arresting people and getting those positive outcomes.’
