Elderly owner, 90, of iconic New York candy store is brutally beaten with a ROCK by thug

The 90-year-old owner of Ray’s Candy Store in Manhattan was severely beaten outside his legendary store by a perpetrator who is still on the run.

The attack happened outside the 24-hour convenience store early Tuesday morning and left the egg custard vendor, known to many as Ray Alvarez, with a black eye.

The photos show the aftermath of the assault, which police say occurred when two strangers known to sell mineral water in the area approached the old man.

Refusing the request, Álvarez separated from the two men just before 3 a.m.

However, soon after, one of the strangers, a man wearing a ski mask pushing a shopping cart, returned and assaulted the store owner, police said. Alvarez, an Iranian immigrant who has served as a fixture in the East Village for decades, has since returned to work. He has owned and operated the store since 1974.

Caught on camera fleeing the scene, the suspect, a man wearing a balaclava seen pushing a shopping trolley, is being wanted by police, after it was revealed he carried out the attack with an object described as a belt. with a heavy stone at the end.

Caught on camera fleeing the scene, the suspect is now being sought by investigators, after it was revealed he made the attack with an object described as a belt with a heavy stone at the end.

A hit from the makeshift weapon reportedly left Alvarez, who had been working the night shift at the iconic store on Avenue A, in the ground bleeding, while the suspect fled down the avenue.

The attack also saw another Ray employee who had been working overnight with Alvarez hit in the chest. The couple did not require hospitalizations and only called the police the next day.

Alvarez, who had been working the night shift at the iconic store he has owned since 1974, was left on the ground bleeding, and the suspect fled down the street.

They told Ninth Precinct police that the staff member was hit in the chest and Alvarez was hit in the left side of the face. He officially filed a report with the precinct Wednesday night, only after reporting back for his shift.

The officers were seen at the store Wednesday night listening to Alvarez’s account of the altercation, now the subject of an official investigation.

According to the East Village blog EV Grieve, Alvarez, who sported severe bruises and a noticeable shine, told police that he had gone out for air with his coworkers before the two men approached him.

He said he did not know the men personally, but said they were known to sell mineral water in the area. Both employees were reportedly hit only once during the early morning attack, which sparked outrage among East Village residents.

In an update to their investigation Thursday, police said the stranger first threatened to kill Alvarez before returning to the scene with the apparently self-made weapon.

The Avenue A store, which was nearly forced to close during the pandemic, serves as a call back to a time when soda shops on the streets of New York were commonplace.

When the stranger and his friend approached him, Alvarez said they asked him if he wanted to buy a package the would-be attacker was carrying.

When Alvarez asked what was inside the box, the suspect handed it over to the other man and threatened to kill the 90-year-old store owner.

Minutes later, he would attack Álvarez – who turned 90 last month – again, leaving him with severe bruises and a hash on the left side of his face.

Police confirmed to DailyMail.com on Thursday that the elderly man was a victim of the 3am attack and that a police report had been filed. They are asking anyone with information on the suspect to call the Crime Stoppers tip line.

Alvarez, an Iranian immigrant who turned 90 last month, has been a fixture in the East Village for decades, handing out egg custards and ice cream at the store since 1974.

Born Asghar Ghahraman, Álvarez immigrated to the US from the Middle East in the early 1970s, just a few years before the residents of his native country overthrew the President’s Pahlavi government during the Iranian revolution.

Initially working as a waiter in Manhattan, Álvarez raised enough funds to buy the store he had dreamed of opening in 1974, when New York was battling a series of financial crises that nearly culminated in the city’s bankruptcy.

With a $30,000 outlay for the space, Álvarez opened his doors later that year and has continued to run his shop, even sleeping in the back at times, for nearly half a century.

Born Asghar Ghahraman, Álvarez immigrated to the US from the Middle East in the early 1970s, just a few years before the Iranian revolution.

During that span, the Avenue A store, which has been nearly forced to close during the pandemic, has served clients ranging from Madonna to Kim Kardashian.

During that span, the Avenue A store, which was nearly forced to close during the pandemic, has served customers ranging from Madonna to Kim Kardashian, while serving like a call back to an earlier time when soda shops in New York were especially plentiful.

The business, like many others in the Big Apple, nearly went bankrupt during the pandemic, reportedly having trouble keeping up with food and electricity costs.

Álvarez, however, refused to raise his prices, which have changed little in the last 49 years, citing that he would never do that for your loyal customers.

New Yorkers would then come together to organize a fundraiser for the old man before his 90th birthday last month, rather than see the old man forced into retirement.

“We want to help Ray stay in business as long as he wants until he decides to hang up his apron on his terms,” ​​explained a description of the fundraiser, titled Ray’s 90th B-day Celebration.

Since then, she has raised more than $52,000, more than half her goal of $90,000.