A dumb crook who returned to a Bryant Park jewelry booth yesterday wearing the items he had stolen the day before was collared by one gem of a maintenance worker, police said.
Jeweler Susan Manley was at her “Dazzler Studios” holiday booth in the park yesterday afternoon thinking she’d never again see the citrine pendant and amethyst ring that had been swiped the day before. But then she looked up and spotted the female-style items on a man’s neck and fingers.
When Manley, 32, made eye contact with the man, identified by cops as José Perez, 51, he started walking away and she quickly followed him.
“I have a lot of problems with theft. Things get stolen all the time,” said Manley, who was determined not be victimized yet again.
Unable to spot any security officers as Perez hustled toward 40th Street, she alerted a maintenance worker shoveling snow.
Joseph Rice, 26, of Brooklyn, “dropped his shovel and he was right on it,” Manley told The Post.
Rice got on his two-way radio, called security and trailed Perez to a Japanese restaurant at Madison Avenue and 41st Street.
When Perez came out of the restaurant, cops were waiting.
In addition to the $300 worth of jewelry he’d allegedly stolen from Manley, cops found Perez had a jacket and duffel bag full of jewelry and videotapes.
Perez was charged with grand larceny.
Manley had nothing but golden praise for Rice.
“It’s not his job to do that and it’s awesome that he did.” said Manley, of North Adams, Mass. “I can’t thank him enough. He’s an everyday hero and he should be proud – there aren’t enough good guys in this city.”
Rice was humble about his contribution to Gotham’s well-being.
Perez “thought he was home free – he didn’t know I was on his tail,” Rice joked.
“Maybe I’ll come in wearing a badge tomorrow,” added Rice, who summed up the critical mistake the alleged thief made:
“He came back wearing the same jewelry? How stupid can you be.”
Manley and other vendors at the Bryant Park holiday market, which runs to Dec. 30, said the area could use more security guards, but a spokesman countered their claims.
“I would say that’s untrue. It’s one of the safest public spaces in New York,” said Joe Carella, of the Bryant Park Corporation. “It’s an unfortunate incident, and the only one we’ve apparently had all season.”
He said the corporation would find “some way” to reward Rice for his crime-busting work.
Additional reporting by Tatiana Deligiannakis