Photographer’s $12,000 Worth of Gear Stolen at Manhattan Bar. Can You Recognize the Thief?

A professional photographer had his entire camera bag stolen at a Lower Manhattan bar last Thursday. He is now speaking out, hoping someone recognizes the man caught on camera fleeing the scene with $12,000 worth of photo and video gear.

Eric Elfstrom, 30, from Red Bank, New Jersey, was sitting in The Dead Rabbit bar on Water Street with a friend. They were going over photos he’ d just taken. As he got up to wash his hands, his camera bag was gone.

“He bent down four times to see if I would notice or anyone else would notice,” Eric told abc7, describing the move from the thief. “And then the fifth time bends down, takes my bag and just goes.”

Inside that bag there was roughly $12,000 worth of cameras, lenses, and more. With his company Elfstrom Media, Eric used that gear to photograph artists like Naughty by Nature, Salt-N-Pepa, and New Kids on the Block.

Surveillance video from outside the bar shows a man scurrying away with the bag. Police are investigating and reviewing the footage. The bar’s interior video was handed directly to police, and The Dead Rabbit staff told reporters they don’t feel comfortable speaking on the matter.

When the reporter asked Eric how he felt when he saw the surveillance footage, he said that his stomach sank. “I watched my whole bag, everything I’ve worked for, just leave me.” Eric believes that the thief could have been following him and his friend because he had a gimbal on the outside of his bag and a tripod on the top. He believes that the man saw that and thought, “There’s something good in that bag.” The suspect also never ordered food or drink, and was inside the pub for just five minutes. Eric was there for about 20 minutes total.

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Thankfully, Eric’s employers replaced the stolen gear. But unfortunately, the stolen gear was uninsured at the time. The new equipment is fully insured and AirTagged, and Eric’s friends have also started a GoFundMe to help with the loss.

Eric has shared the surveillance image of the suspect. If you recognize him, please contact the NYPD. And if you’re a photographer, follow these steps to prevent camera theft. You can never be too careful!

[via PetaPixel]

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