Wild West: Purse Theft Leads to Rare Horseback Arrest on UWS
NYPD bodycam footage captures mounted officer and his four-legged counterpart recovering stolen purse in Manhattan’s Upper Westside.
| 20 Apr 2026 | 03:54
The suspect, Felicia Field, in white shirt and black shorts, is seen running from an officer who was pursuing her on horseback. (
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Suspect seen running from mounted NYPD officer (
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When a woman’s purse vanished from her lap near West 72nd Street, help arrived at a gallop.
Around 11 a.m. on April 15th, an NYPD Mounted Unit officer and his horse, Kelly, sprang into action after a witness reported that a suspect, later identified by cops as 44-year-old Felicia Field, had snatched a pocketbook from an older woman sitting on a bench near Columbus Avenue.
Bodycam video released by the NYPD shows the officer urging Kelly forward to capture the thief as he steered his steed under scaffolding and against moving traffic, dodging pedestrians, and traveling between parked cars. The officer on the body cam footage can be heard shouting “Stop running!” at the fleeting suspect.
Field continued fleeing and denied taking the purse even as the officer got closer. A bystander stepped forward to help corner Fields, allowing the officer to detain the suspect and recover the stolen purse. No injuries were reported to the victim, suspect, officer, or the horse.
According to prosecutors, Police Officer Carlos Gomez said an unidentified eyewitness saw Field walk up to the older woman, grab the purse directly from her lap, and run away. The victim then stood up, shouting “Thief! Thief!” while pointing at Field, and tried to chase after her
Field was arrested and charged with grand larceny and false personation. When officers asked for her name, she repeatedly identified herself as Nicole Williams with a date of birth of May 6, 1984. After her fingerprints were taken, authorities confirmed her real identity as Felicia Field, born June 6, 1981.
Field is revealed to have a lengthy criminal history, as she was released on parole just last year after serving roughly 24 years for a 2000 murder conviction in Brooklyn. At 18 years old, she and two teenage accomplices hailed a livery cab and attempted to rob the driver at gunpoint. Field was holding the weapon when it discharged, firing a single shot into the back of the driver’s head and killing 43-year-old Cesar Manuel Lopez. She later told detectives the gun went off accidentally as she tried to pass it to one of her accomplices. A jury convicted her of second-degree murder, attempted robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Since her parole in April 2025, Field has faced multiple additional arrests this year, including charges related to assault and theft. She currently remains on lifetime parole.
The dramatic pursuit was also captured by an NBC New York news crew that was filming an unrelated event nearby. After the footage went viral, NYPD released the recording from the officer’s body cam with the caption:
“Whether on foot or on hooves, our officers are always ready.”
Mounted Unit officers typically focus on crowd control in high traffic areas such as Times Square and Central Park rather than street level pursuits, making the event a rare occurrence.
Field was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court the following day and released on supervised release. Her next court date is May 7.
Field is represented by attorney Mariah Martinez. Attempts to reach Martinez for comment were not returned.