Hey, they took my iPad
I was having dinner yesterday at a sidewalk table at a restaurant in the far West Village enjoying the delightful New York spring weather. I propped up my iPad at a near 90 degree angle using its case so I could read on Instapaper while eating my meal.
All the sudden my iPad disappears and its formerly magnetically attached case goes flying. I look up and see three guys, one of whom snatched the iPad, running away.
I immediately give chase, running after them yelling “hey, they took my iPad”. It quickly started to sink in how hopeless my cause was since they had a pretty good lead. After a block we turned a corner and I yelled again. One guy on that street who was closer to them heard me and started chasing them and yelling too. As they turned the next corner, another two guys who heard our shouts and was in front of the thieves stopped them and got the iPad back. The iPad snatchers then ran away.
Amazingly the iPad was completely undamaged — not even a scratch. More importantly no one was hurt. The only victim was my shirt that got a little tomato sauce on it. Did I mention I was at an Italian restaurant?
I thanked the guy who helped chase them and the guys who stopped them. I shook their hands and asked if I could buy them dinner or do anything else to thank them. One of the guys just told me he’d just ordered an iPad himself, and with that they were all off on their separate ways. I went back to the restaurant and was congratulated by most patrons and lectured by one old lady about how I shouldn’t have chased them for fear they’d have a gun. Maybe she was right. Did I mention it’s an iPad 2?
While the incident was startling, I left the restaurant feeling even better about New York City than when I started. All it took was asking for help and my fellow New Yorkers sprang into action. What more can you want from a city?
