Wild Wild West Side: Horseback NYPD Cop Chases Down Suspected Purse Thief

Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams once told the PIX11 Morning News (my old workplace) that the city is so great because it's a place "where every day you wake up you could experience everything from a plane crashing into our trade center through a person who's celebrating a new business that's about to open." While that's undoubtedly true, New Yorkers can now add "horseback police chases" to their list of things they can see on any given day, because that's exactly what folks on the streets of the Upper West Side saw the morning of April 15.

Luckily for all of us, NBC New York just so happened to be in the area shooting a different story when the wild chase happened. A suspect apparently nabbed and ran off with a woman's purse near the intersection of 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue. An NYPD officer on horseback was made aware of the situation and quickly began chasing them down — following them on Seabiscuit's back up the sidewalk and through the streets of Manhattan. I'll admit, this person was really moving, but eventually they gave up and were arrested by the officer as the horse stood by.

The NYPD posted a video of the officer's body camera footage on X, the Everything App, showing the events unfold on the back of "Kelly" the horse with the caption, "Whether on food or on hooves, our officers are always ready."

As someone who lives on the opposite side of the Park, I will say, if there was ever going to be "chase down a suspect on a horse" weather it would be on April 15. It was just gorgeous out — perfect for horseback riding through Manhattan.

Video posted by NBC New York picks up by showing the officer riding down the sidewalk, yelling "Police! Stop! Stop Running!" It then shows the suspect run into the street (where there thankfully weren't any cars driving) and trip. That's when the officer and his steed come around the other side and cut her off in the middle of the road. Undeterred, they get back up and keep sprinting down the sidewalk.

The two continue in a Tom and Jerry-like situation for a while, dodging oncoming vehicles as eye-witnesses can be heard yelling at the person to stop running and to get out of the street. She also yells that the horse may get hurt. Eventually, the video cuts and ends with the suspect being arrested and the purse was recovered.

Clearly, the NYPD isn't horsing around... I'm so sorry.