Photographer Has $12K Worth of Camera Gear Stolen From Manhattan Bar
A photographer who had over $12,000 worth of camera gear stolen from a bar in New York is going public with his story in the hope of getting it back.
Eric Elfstrom was at the Dead Rabbit in Lower Manhattan last Thursday (February 26), going through some photos he’d just taken with a friend.
But as ABC 7 reports, they weren’t alone; they were being scoped out by a nefarious individual.
As Elfstrom and his friend were sitting close to the bar, he temporarily left to wash his hands.
“He was right next to me, my bag was on my left, he then bent down four times to see if I would notice or if anyone else would notice,” he tells the ABC affiliate. “And then the fifth time he bent down, took my bag, and just goes.”
“My stomach sank,” Elfstrom adds. “I watched my whole bag, everything I’ve worked for just leave me.”
Elfstrom managed to get CCTV footage of the thief scurrying down Water Street with his bag. ABC 7 notes that he was only in the bar for 20 minutes and the robber, who didn’t order a drink or food, was in there for less than five minutes.
Elfstrom speculates whether the thief followed him into the bar since he had a tripod and a gimbal visible outside his camera bag. “Maybe he saw that and thought there’s something good in that bag,” he says.
Police are now investigating and have security video of the incident taken inside the bar.
Elfstrom’s gear wasn’t insured but fortunately for him, his bosses have replaced the stolen camera gear. It is now insured with Apple AirTags attached.
Nevertheless, the theft is still a huge blow to the business, Elfstrom Media, which he’s spent long hours building up. His friends have set up a GoFundMe page for him.
Photographers in public places with their camera gear must always be cautious, regardless of their location in the world. Last November, photographer Roger Radstrom was sitting in a restaurant in Milan, Italy, when his camera bag just vanished, leaving him devastated.
