A woman was left startled when a thief grabbed her phone while she was filming a video – before the unexpected happens just seconds later. The TikToker – who had been filming a vlog on her phone while walking down the street – was heading to a doctors appointment in Islington, north London when the incident unfolded.
She started the video holding her phone out to film herself as she discussed the importance of smear tests, telling her viewers: “This might be a little TMI, but I have a smear test. So this is your sign ladies to go and book it.”
As she’s in the middle of speaking, a man – wearing black gloves and a face mask – can be seen sprinting behind her, grabbing the phone as he runs past.
She screams and chases after him, which seemingly startles the thief who slows down before dropping the phone after she says: “Please can I have it back”.
Shaken, she then picks up the phone and cuts off the recording but decided to share it to TikTok to warn others. London is a phone-theft hotspot, with hundreds being stolen monthly.
Writing in the caption, she said: “This was a huge wake up call to always keep your phone and belongings in a safe bag. This was on a private street in Highbury Fields and I feel very lucky to be okay. Thank you to the kind strangers who helped me afterwards too.”
One person asked how she managed to get him to drop the phone, to which she replied she was “just as baffled”. She added: “I sort of ran after him screaming and he just stopped and threw it back.”
Others joked about her “polite manners” in asking for her phone back, with one writing: “So British saying ‘please can I have my phone back’ because I’d be exactly the same.” Phone theft is common in London, with Crimestoppers reporting that 60 percent of incidents occur between 6pm and 1am. Around 54 percent of phone snatches also involve bikes.
