A holidaying American track and field athlete turned the tables on a would-be phone thief in a dramatic chase near the London Eye, highlighting the capital's escalating mobile theft epidemic.
The Wrong Target: Athlete's Instant Reaction
Elizabeth Lopez Aguilar, a 24-year-old professional athlete from Texas, was filming a TikTok video with the iconic London Eye in the background. While on a birthday trip with her boyfriend, she had placed her phone a few feet away and had just begun speaking when a man suddenly grabbed the device and sprinted off.
"At first I was laughing because I thought it was my boyfriend playing a prank," Ms Aguilar said. "But then I realised it was real. I was shocked but immediately kicked into full gear." Unbeknownst to the thief, his victim specialised in sprinting and long-distance running and was in training for an Ironman triathlon.
"I immediately went into running mode and wouldn't stop until the guy was caught," she added. Her boyfriend joined the pursuit, and the pair quickly cornered the man. Ms Aguilar managed to grab his arm and retrieve her phone. The couple chose not to involve the police as the thief did not resist and left the scene immediately after returning the device.
London's Soaring Phone Theft Crisis
This incident is far from isolated. Ms Aguilar is one of thousands of residents and tourists targeted by phone snatchers across London. Official figures released by the Metropolitan Police in August reveal the shocking scale of the problem.
In the last year, a record 116,656 mobile phones were reported stolen in the capital – equivalent to more than 320 every single day, or 13 every hour. This marks a staggering increase of over 50% compared to the 77,000 thefts recorded in 2017. Despite the huge number of incidents, enforcement remains low, with only 169 suspects charged and a mere seven receiving a caution.
Police data indicates that female victims (61,000) outnumbered male victims (just under 48,000), with the gender of the remainder unrecorded.
Political Response and Proposed Funding
In response to what campaigners label a "phone theft epidemic," Mayor Sadiq Khan has proposed raising council tax to fund a crackdown. The draft budget suggests increasing the average Band D bill by more than £20, which would push the City Hall portion of the tax above £500 for the first time.
Sir Sadiq stated he was taking this "difficult decision" specifically to "smash the phone theft gang." The proposal, which would see the City Hall precept rise from £490.38 to £510.51 by 2026-27, requires approval from the London Assembly next month.
Campaigner Dr Lawrence Newport emphasised the need for decisive action: "Our politicians need to wake up to reality: they need to stop this epidemic, and push our justice system to catch, convict and imprison these career criminals. Half of all crime is committed by just 10 per cent of offenders."
