A couple taking a selfie outside a dining establishment in Makati City had their mobile phone snatched by a motorcycle rider.
CCTV footage showed JJ Benitez and Elvin Roxas taking pictures with Benitez’s phone on the evening of October 12 when a motorcycle rider passed by and then made a U-turn.
The rider briefly disappeared from the camera frame before coming back into view at the exact moment Benitez held her phone away to take a picture. The rider grabbed her phone and sped away, prompting the couple to chase him.
In an interview with News5’s “Frontline Express,” Benitez said they did not suspect the rider at first because he was wearing a helmet bearing the logo of a popular motorcycle app.
“Sobrang bilis ng pangyayari. Tsaka siya lumabas out of nowhere dun sa right side ko, and then nakuha na niya ‘yung phone ko,” she said.
Another CCTV footage showed the couple wrestling and fighting with the rider over the mobile phone.
According to the report, bystanders also came to the couple’s aid, helping them retrieve the device..
Despite this, the rider managed to escape.
“Out of adrenaline rush, hinahatak namin siya, I think we landed, ‘yun nga, some punches,” Roxas said.
“And then, nakita niya na parami ‘yung dumadating na nasa likod namin, so bigla niya kinuha sa bulsa niya and then tinapon niya sa harap namin ‘yung phone,” he added.
The couple did not file a police blotter since they were able to retrieve Benitez’s phone.
Meanwhile, some Filipinos on Facebook tagged their friends in the comments section of the news agency’s post to raise awareness about the incident.
“Mga mahilig kayo mag-picture sa kalsada,” a Facebook user commented, tagging two users.
“Dapat kasi ‘wag ganyan paharap mag-selfie, dapat nakatalikod kayo pareho kapag mag-ce-cellphone sa labas, dapat nagmamasid din kayo sa paligid,” another wrote.
“Huwag po magpa-kampante, lalo na nasa kalye kayo,” a different Pinoy reminded.
Mobile phone snatching on the streets is one of the most common crimes in Metro Manila, often targeting users who hold their phones away from their bodies, making them vulnerable.
Perpetrators typically use motorcycles to make quick and easy getaways.
