SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – In a tragic turn of events, an attempted cellphone theft ended with the death of a 17-year-old boy in Brazil’s southeastern city of São Paulo last Friday. The chilling incident was captured on surveillance footage, showing the teenager attempting to snatch a phone from an elderly man and then being run over by a bus.
The video evidence reveals the teenager approaching a 71-year-old man who was on a phone call on a street corner. The boy grabbed the cell phone from the unsuspecting gentleman and ran but failed to notice an oncoming bus. The bus struck the teenager and came to an immediate halt. The injured teen was taken to Brasilândia Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Witnesses on the scene described the shocking scene, with one bystander noting the teenager had managed to roll onto the curb and was talking and moving before being taken to the hospital. Another witness, a local barber, described hearing a loud noise and then seeing the boy in agony on the ground.
This unfortunate incident highlights the alarming increase in cellphone thefts in São Paulo and across Brazil. According to the annual report by the Brazilian Security Forum, the state of São Paulo recorded 158,150 thefts and 137,891 cell phone robberies in 2023. Meanwhile, nationwide, an average of 107 cell phones were stolen or robbed per hour in that year.
Samira Bueno, the Brazilian Security Forum Director, told Brazilian news outlet G1 that the upswing in cell phone thefts and resulting crimes is indicating a “profound change in the dynamics of property crime”. She noted that the digitalization of banking and the centrality of cell phones in daily life have made them particularly attractive targets for thieves.