Thieves Steal Air Jordans From Teenager, Find Out They’re Fake When They Try To Resell Them

For three thieves in East Flushing, Queens, their plan had too many holes and was ultimately unsuccessful.

A teenager was standing on a sidewalk with his Air Jordans on, not knowing that it would make him a target for three men who slowly drove by him than pulled over. Before the teenager was aware of what was happening, one man grabbed him and held him onto the ground, while the other two grabbed the sneakers and pulled them off, reported the New York Post.

Although the teenager reported to police that the thieves stole his “$2,000 Air Jordans,” the shoes turned out to be fake. The thieves found this out quickly because right after they stole the shoes from the teenager, they went into an .IMAGE shoe store in an attempt to make some quick cash. However, the employee noticed that they were fake, and declined to buy them. The interaction was captured on surveillance, and the footage has been released in hopes of catching the criminals.

The .IMAGE employee, David, said that he knew they were fake once he checked the quality of the shoe material and stitching. He said he offered “Zero dollars, because it’s a fake!”

Other surveillance recordings were also captured, which show the teenager being robbed.

Off Whites stolen straight off the feet!https://t.co/nwH1F8fbNp

— achang (@alexchang__) May 3, 2018

In addition to the shoes, the criminals also took the teenager’s debit card and $10 in cash. The teenager suffered cuts on his arms and knees and went to Flushing Hospital for treatment. The three men who stole the shoes have yet to be apprehended.

Air Jordans have a cult following, and certain pairs command very high prices. Some designs fetch over $2,000, like the pair that looks similar to what the teenager was wearing. For example, the OFF WHITE x Nike Presto shoes are expected to have a resale value of around $2,000, although the retail price will be just $160, according to Sneaker News. Other designs, like the Satin Shattered Backboard, have about a $1,000 resale value, whereas the Satin Air Jordan 1s have a resale value closer to $2,000.

The history of Air Jordan shoes can be traced back to 1985 when the shoes were designed for the legendary basketball player, Michael Jordan. Nike released the original Air Jordan, which were later banned by the NBA, according to the Foot Locker website. Even so, Jordan wore the sneakers, and simply paid the $5,000 fine for each game he wore them. Lucky for Jordan, Nike picked up the tab. Since then, Nike has released a steady stream of new designs, eventually garnering a loyal following thanks to its iconic style and affiliation with a widely admired athlete.