Moment Londoners bravely chase down ‘watch thief’ in Marylebone | News UK

A suspected thief who allegedly snatched a man’s watch in a posh area of London probably didn’t expect the victim, as well as witnesses, to fight back.

The alleged thief struck in broad daylight on Margaret Street – between Marylebone and Fitzrovia, where the average property is worth £2million.

The suspect was reportedly caught by the victim and another passerby who intervened to help stop the robbery.

The victim was then able to grab the suspect with the help of a witness as others gathered around him.

The pair managed to rip the watch back off him in a struggle- but the suspect managed to escape.

A source claimed: ‘A watch thief robbed a man.

‘The man, together with passersby on the street, managed to grab him and recover the watch.

‘But the thief managed to escape.’

In footage of the alleged theft, a witness behind the camera runs down the street and towards the scene.

Shouting and swearing can be heard as the victim wrestles with the thief and more join at around 3pm on Sunday, December 14.

Brazen thefts like this are on the rise as Scotland Yard revealed that the most sought after watches by thieves were Rolex, followed by Cartier, Omega and Patek Philipp, which can sell for more than £10million.

In 2024, an average of 21 luxury watches were reported missing in the UK each day increasing year-on year from 19 per day in 2022-2023 and 12 per day in 2021. 

Gangs in London dubbed ‘Rolex rippers’ are said to be stealing the watches to order. 

There have been several shocking incidents in London, with police even launching undercover operations in Soho where they pretend to be wealthy tourists to bait thieves. 

Two men were caught on CCTV sneakily stealing a woman’s bag from a busy central London pub.

The victim’s bag contained her laptop and other personal items totalling £2,000.

The pair were each sentenced to 18 weeks in prison for theft.

And in another separate incident in August, two of London’s most notorious pickpockets, along with their friend, stole a handbag worth £1,000 from a woman on Oxford Street.

All three were jailed for a combined total of 51 weeks in September for theft.

Met Police say the alleged theft hasn’t been reported to them directly.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: I moved to the UK’s second most boring place at 25 — I never want to leave

MORE: Human remains in park are those of woman who vanished 19 years ago

MORE: Lime and Forest e-bikes could soon disappear from this London borough – here’s why