An NYPD lieutenant was arrested for shoplifting at a luxury yoga boutique while working an off-duty security job there, police sources said Saturday.
The department suspended Lt. John Ruis after he was charged with petit larceny, official misconduct and criminal possession of stolen property for the minor theft.
Ruis, 61, is a 30-year department veteran currently assigned to the NYPD’s Crime Prevention Division, according to his NYPD profile.
Multiple sources confirm Ruis was off-duty and working a department-approved security detail at an Alo Yoga boutique when he was caught on surveillance camera stealing a $275 charm off a $3,500 Alo Odyssey bag sold in the store.
When store workers realized the charm had been swiped from the bag’s handle, they reviewed the security footage and spotted Ruis pocket the item, police sources said.
The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau was informed, and Ruis was arrested on Friday following an investigation.
The lieutenant was given a desk appearance ticket and is expected to answer the charges in Manhattan Criminal Court in a few weeks.
The NYPD could not officially confirm details of the arrest, citing the IAB investigation.
It was not immediately disclosed when the theft took place or which store Ruis was working in when the theft occurred. Alo Yoga LLC, a nationwide chain that sells high-end athletic wear, has eight stores in the city, with four in Manhattan.
Calls and an email to Alo Yoga LLC were not immediately returned Saturday.
Ruis joined the NYPD in 1995 and was promoted to lieutenant in 2006. He had served in the 115th Precinct in Queens before he was transferred to the department’s Crime Prevention Division in 2024. Before his arrest, he was an older adult liaison for the division, working in the Bronx.
Attempts to reach Ruis for comment were unsuccessful Saturday.
In 2018, Ruis was brought up on department charges for not informing his superiors about changes to an order of protection filed against him by his estranged wife at the time. He was also accused of not securing a third firearm, which he had allegedly left at his wife’s home.
He admitted his failures and NYPD Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Trials Jeff Adler found him guilty and recommended the lieutenant give up 30 vacation days as punishment.
The recommendation was disapproved in 2021 by then-Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, according to court papers.
During his departmental trial, it was mentioned that Lt. Ruis over the first 25 years of his career received 12 medals for excellent police duty, seven medals for meritorious police duty, and one medal for meritorious police duty – integrity.
Over his two and a half decades with the department, he had only called in sick once, the trials commissioner noted.
