Bodega robbery suspect tracked by his own sneakers

A man who robbed a bodega on Ninth Avenue on Friday night took care to cover his face, his hands and his hair. He did not cover his feet, and his feet were wearing a pair of sneakers so rare that detectives identified him within six hours.

The man, 26, of the Bronx, was arrested on Saturday evening and charged with robbery in the second degree. Police say he took $340 from the register and a carton of cigarettes, and that he was wearing the sneakers when they knocked on his door.

"He was very proud of them," a detective said. "He asked if he could change into something else before we left. We said no."

The shoes

The sneakers are a limited run, released in September, with a distinctive yellow sole and a pattern on the heel that the detective described as "a sort of spider web, which, given this city, is almost funny." Forty pairs were sold in New York. The store that sold them keeps a list.

“He asked if he could change into something else before we left. We said no.”

Detective, Midtown North

The bodega's camera, which points at the door and, by chance, at the floor, caught the shoes clearly in six separate frames. The suspect, police say, had also posted a photo of them that morning with the caption "finally."

The owner

The bodega's owner, Marisol Peña, 52, said the robbery took about 90 seconds and that the man "was polite, in a way, for a robber." He apologised for the mask, she said, and told her it was "nothing personal."

"I told him, you're robbing me, it's a little personal," Peña said. "He said fair enough."

The other guy

Peña said that about an hour after the robbery, a figure in red and blue stopped outside the store, looked at the door, and left. She does not know whether this was related. The Bugle's publisher believes everything is related.

The suspect is due in court on Tuesday. The sneakers have been entered into evidence. The detective said they would "probably not be returned in the same condition," and seemed to enjoy saying it.