News

Machete-wielding thief snatches ring after arranging purchase in Lynn

LYNN, Mass. – A local mother wants to let others know how a popular app connected her with a machete-wielding thief who took off with her wedding ring.

It happened on Sunday just after 10 a.m. on Duke Street in Lynn.

To protect the victim’s identity, Boston 25 News is only referring to her as “Donna”.

Donna told Boston 25 News she was trying to sell a 2-karat wedding ring from a failed marriage to get some extra cash in time for the holidays.

She now believes she ignored the warning signs of what turned out to be a dangerous encounter.

“I wish I could rewind the day and start all over,” she said. “He had no transportation asked me if I could go to him I said no problem.”

Donna tells Boston 25 News Reporter Drew Karedes she agreed to sell the ring for $4,500 on OfferUp.

She agreed to drive from her house in Waltham to meet the man in Lynn, but things went sour as soon as she pulled up and showed the man the ring.

“He pulled out a machete, snatched the ring and took off running,” she said. “My adrenaline is pumping, I was pissed off. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t afraid I was mad!”

Donna hopped in her car to chase the man.

Looking back on it, she acknowledges that she wasn’t thinking logically and was overcome with anger about she had been duped.

“I honestly threw my car into reverse trying to catch him,” she said. “If I found him I probably would be the one in jail because I probably would’ve ran him over.”

She says she’ll be taking a break from OfferUp, an app she's been using for more than two years. as well as any other buying and selling apps for a while.

In the past, the 39-year-old says she's made her transactions outside local businesses but admits this time she let her guard down.

She urges others who conduct these types of transactions to meet outside local police stations to avoid trouble.

“You play it in your mind over and over, I should’ve done this or should’ve done that,” Donna said. “But you’re in a state of shock when something like that happens you don’t even think.”

Lynn Police tell Boston 25 News that they’ve obtained surveillance footage from the residential area where this crime unfolded. The video reportedly shows a possible accomplice.

Investigators expect to release those images soon.

TOP STORIES: