Posted on 08/26/2025 9:18:07 AM PDT by lowbridge
Wild video shows a US tourist yanking a suspected pickpocket by the ponytail after the teenager allegedly stole her purse and passport while on vacation in Venice.
Footage of the dramatic incident, which took place last Thursday, shows the furious woman gripping the teen girl by the hair in front of a crowd of onlookers in the world-famous Italian city.
The mom of eight was able to track down her stolen purse by using the “Find My Friends” feature on her AirPods, which were inside it, according to her daughter, Karis McElroy, who shared the original video of the confrontation on TikTok.
Karis’ mom was on vacation in Venice with her stepdad when they were crowded by a group of girls on a narrow bridge, and soon realized that her backpack had been unzipped and her purse containing her credit cards, cash and passport was missing, along with a metal water bottle.
“Her and my stepdad immediately started tracking her purse through her AirPods on Find My Friends, and they were able to track it down back to those three girls,” Karis said in a subsequent video.
“So she goes and chases them down, and she grabs one of the girls by her ponytail and does not let go. Two of the girls stay, one of the girls runs away with my mom’s purse,” she went on.
“She said she didn’t care about any of the other stuff in the bag, but she just at least wanted her passport so she could get home,” she said.
The Airbnb host told Karis’ mom that the trio were a well-known group of pickpockets in Venice and stood with her while they waited for the cops to apprehend the teenagers.
All the while, the girl being held by the ponytail was screaming
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Ok this woman needs to have t shirts made about her awesomeness
> And I’ve heard these criminals are a major problem in Europe. <
Here’s a common trick the gypsies will use around famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower.
A gypsy woman holding a baby will approach a tourist who’s carrying valuables. The gypsy tosses the baby at the tourist. As the tourist scrambles to catch the baby, he is mobbed. What valuables that can be taken, are taken. Then the mob scatters.
The “baby” is of course not real. It’s a cheap doll.
What if they steal your cellphone?
I went overseas for the first time in April 2005. I was gone for 33 days. I was told to keep my passport on me at all times, so I wore a passport holder around my neck, concealed under my top. I never carried a purse either. I had a money belt that I wore under my clothes, and kept my credit cards and cash in. Every day I'd take out one card, and a bit of cash, and keep them deep in my left hand jeans pocket. My phone was in my right jeans pocket.
I had a back pack that sat on my right side, the strap worn cross-ways across my body. The zipper was along the front, so I didn' even have to take it off to put my purchases in it. I had bought it specifically for the trip. I also took a foldable travel bag in my suitcase on the way over, and brought enough TSA locks for it. I used it to hold all the things I had bought on the trip and checked it for the flight home. Everything arrived intact. Never had a problem.
“...well-known group of pickpockets in Venice...”
Yep. She looks Romanian. Sealing is part of their creed.
Gypsies, tramps & Thieves
We needs more moms like her.
Might catch heat, but who is so self-absorbed they can’t feel a backpack being unzipped and items removed?
The victim was not pulling the perps hair hard enough.
LOL! What great scene.
Good on Mrs McElroy.
LOL! What great scene.
Good on Mrs McElroy.
yup!
they were “knackers” when I lived in Ireland ( 80’s)
Right.
Lying, thieving, cheating plague upon humanity is more accurate.
When in a crowded tourist area you 100% have to be on guard for theft.
> but who is so self-absorbed they can’t feel a backpack being unzipped <
I don’t know if it happened here. But these thieves are quite good at creating distractions. Sometimes one thief will bump into you, then humbly “apologize”. As you are listening to the apology, his pal is expertly going through your backpack or cutting the straps to your purse.
Then there’s my post #22.
“ Might catch heat, but who is so self-absorbed they can’t feel a backpack being unzipped and items removed?”
The thieves are very good at stealing and not letting the target.
Very much like liberals in Congress.
That means something entirely different here..........😏
“That said it’s pretty dumb to be walking around with your passport. Having a photo on your cellphone or paper copies should suffice in most cases.”
Anything you carry in a backpack in a crowd is simply begging someone to take it. The American woman should be arrested for stupidity and assault.
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