A thief’s attempts to rob a passerby in New York’s Brooklyn failed spectacularly because his pants kept falling down, giving his victim a chance to fight back.

       Surveillance footage from a Brooklyn street on 12 July shows a bearded man in shorts and a white T-shirt pulling the passerby – a 25-year-old man who has not been named – down to the ground and snatching his belongings. The passerby in blue jeans is seen trying to fight him off.

       During the tussle, the robber’s pants slide down to his knees which the 25-year-old holds on to in order to not let him flee with his belongings. The robber keeps dragging the man on the street, however, he does not let him go.

       As the tussle continues, his falling pants give others a chance to intervene and pull him away from the victim.

       The 36-second video shows the robber eventually letting the 25-year-old go to pull his pants up. However, he makes one more attempt to snatch his belongings before having to let him go again. Three men can be seen standing near the two, while one attempts to intervene.

       According to New York police department, the man then ran off in a different direction after his failed attempts and attempted to flee the scene in a white SUV. NYPD is offering a reward up to $3,500 for any information on the man.

       The victim, however, was taken to NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn, where he was treated for injuries on his back, elbow and knee. The injuries are reportedly minor and the victim is in a stable condition.

       According to figures released by NYPD in the month of June, robberies increased in the city by 46 per cent in May, compared to the same month last year, while the overall index crimes in New York City rose by 22 per cent.