Diner Charged With Robbery After Grabbing Phone At Boca Raton’s Casa Vera

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A 68-year-old New York man is facing a felony robbery charge after police say he snatched a phone out of another man’s hand at Casa Vera in Boca Raton, furious that his food never came.

Steven Peikin Weiss, of Hewlett, N.Y., was arrested shortly after 10 p.m. on Oct. 10 at the restaurant at 3249 N. Federal Highway. According to the probable cause affidavit reviewed by BocaNewsNow.com, the victim told police Weiss was angry about not getting his food in a timely manner, or at all. The victim said he tried to calm Weiss down and offered a discount on the meal. It didn’t work. Weiss allegedly started calling him vulgar names, then grabbed his phone and said he was going to break it.

Video of the encounter, police say, shows Weiss quickly yanking the phone from the victim’s hand, tucking it behind his back and starting to walk away, police say. About 10 seconds later, he handed it back. The victim called it a $2,000 phone and said it made a “weird noise” afterward, though the officer reported seeing no visible damage.

Weiss told police he’d waited about an hour and a half for his food and was offered $10 off. He said he picked up what he thought was his friend’s phone because it looked similar, and that he gave it back immediately. When shown the video, Weiss said he didn’t fully remember the interaction and may have taken the phone, but wasn’t sure. He was charged with robbery by sudden snatching and taken to the Palm Beach County Jail. He was released on $2500 bond.

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