On Camera: Brazilian TV Reporter Mugged Moments Before Going Live On Air

A Brazilian TV reporter narrowly escaped a robbery attempt just seconds before she was about to go on air. The incident, captured on camera, took place on the streets of Brazil, the People magazine reported. Clara Nery, a reporter for Brazilian network Band Rio, was preparing to go live from the streets of Rio de Janeiro when the shocking scene unfolded last week. The footage clearly showed a man on a motorbike driving past the reporter before trying to snatch her phone out of her hand - all while the camera rolled. 

The man fled the scene immediately after the robbery attempt. However, Ms Nery later revealed that she was able to get her cellphone back after her would-be thief dropped it, per the outlet. "It was a real scare to go live, but the important thing is that everything turned out okay!" Nery wrote in an Instagram post, accompanying footage of the terrifying mugging.

Watch the video below: 

Thief on a motorbike tried to snatch a Brazilian reporters phone just before she went live on air pic.twitter.com/Y2IKJGOkgq

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Ms Nery went on to thank those who reached out. "Thanks for the messages and support from my coworkers, the Military Police, and the Civil Police," she wrote. She also called for the public's help in identifying the suspect: "Let's share his face, he wants to be known."

The reporter also noted that the motorcycle's license plate was covered with a piece of cardboard. She alerted cops, who have assessed the footage and are hunting for the attempted thief, the outlet reported.

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"We trust the work of the Military Police and the Civil Police. We have no doubt that he will be found and arrested. It remains to be seen whether, once arrested, his detention will be upheld, as we see many similar cases, but unfortunately, criminals like this are released after just a few days," she said, per the New York Post. 

Notably, phone thefts in Rio de Janeiro surged by 27% this June compared to the same month in 2024, The Nightly reported, citing the Rio de Janeiro Public Security Institute. More than 2,300 phones were reportedly stolen in June 2025 - up from 1,808 the previous year.