Woman’s search for ‘hero’ who chased down phone snatcher outside London Waterlooo

A mum is desperately searching for the ‘hero’ who chased down and fought a phone snatcher to get her stolen mobile back.

Andrea Klinkenberg, 38, was walking outside of Waterloo Station on Thursday night when a man riding an e-bike rammed into her side.

The thief made her trip up, before snatching her phone out of her hands and speeding away.

Andrea told Metro: ‘I tried running after him, and kept shouting “somebody stop him” to anyone nearby.

‘I gave up chasing him after he rode through a busy road, and I thought my phone was gone.

‘When I was on the train home, I was sat there crying and no one asked me if I was okay. In that moment it felt like there was no good people left.’

But once Andrea managed to return to her home in Woking, her husband, who was sat waiting by the door, revealed her phone has been found.

Police told the couple a member of the public, named Fadil, had fought off the snatcher to get her phone back.

But at that point, Andrea had given up chase and went to catch her train home.

She said: ‘When I found out someone fought for me phone, I suddenly felt so much hope.

‘I don’t know how he managed to get it back, but it’s lovely to know he wanted to help a complete stranger.’

Police only provided Andrea with Fadil’s first name and his phone number with one digit missing.

But she has not given up hope on finding him, and is desperate to tell him how grateful she is.

She said: ‘I just want to say thank you. When I was sat on the train home, I felt completely hopeless and my privacy had been fully invaded.

‘There is still hope in the world, and I want to tell Fadil how thankful I am.’

The Metropolitan Police have been contacted for comment.

Some 78,000 people had phones or bags stolen from them on British streets in the year to March 2024.

That is a rise of more than 150% on the 31,000 ‘snatch thefts’ in the 12 months before, according to data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales.

Figures also show that four in five police investigations were closed before a suspect was even found and just 0.8% of ‘theft from the person’ complaints resulted in a charge.

The government has pledged to crackdown on the scourge, with the Home Office saying it will work more closely with tech firms and police chiefs.

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