NYPD hunts thief who attacked and robbed 85-year-old man in East Harlem while he was walking home
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The NYPD is looking for the assailant of an unidentified 85-year-old man, who was attacked from behind before being asphyxiated and robbed in Upper Manhattan.
Surveillance videos show how the suspect runs after the victim around 10 p.m., after which he seems to grab him to the ground on August 1 and strangle him.
The victim was walking across Lexington Avenue across an intersection at E. 120th Street in East Harlem when the unprovoked attack occurred.
After the victim fell, the attacker took the victim’s wallet before making off.
The victim then sees difficulty standing up before reporting the incident to the police.
He suffered some scrapes and bruises, but refused medical attention CBS News.
During the ongoing investigation, the NYPD is enlisting the public’s help in identifying the suspect.
Anyone with information about the attack or the suspect is asked to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-477-TIPS.
Pictured: The suspect (right in red) is seen behind the victim, an unidentified 85-year-old man
Pictured: The suspect then grabs the victim by the throat with both arms before throwing him to the ground
Pictured: Victim is seen struggling as suspect takes victim’s wallet
Pictured: After taking the man’s wallet, he sees the suspect running away from the scene
Pictured: The victim, who suffered some scrapes and bruises, watches as he struggles to stand. He refused medical help
New York City’s crime rate has risen 34.2 percent in the past year, according to statistics from the NYPD
The attack took place amid a spike in crime in New York City over the summer.
According to statistics from the NYPD, crime is up 34.2 percent in the past year, and the crime rate is up 17.4 percent from the same time a year earlier.
A month before the 85-year-old man was attacked, another man is seen on camera punching another unsuspecting man in Brooklyn’s Kings Plaza Mall, leaving the victim unconscious.
Authorities said the unprovoked attack caused the victim “serious bodily harm” and he was taken to Brookdale Hospital in stable condition.
That August 1 attack came about a week before similar surveillance footage captured the moment when repeat criminal Bui Van Phu, 55, donned a glove and punched Jesus Cortes, 52, in the back of the head with great force.
Cortes immediately fell to the ground and appeared to be unconscious after hitting his head on the concrete. He suffered a skull fracture, a fractured cheekbone and a brain hemorrhage, with EMS taking him to hospital on August 12.
An initial investigation found that Cortes “left the restaurant, stopped and observed several individuals talking, after which one person left the restaurant, donned a pair of gloves and stood behind the victim.
“With no prior conversation or argument, the person punched the victim in the face before returning to the restaurant and later to unknown parts,” an NYPD spokesperson said.
Phu was initially released without bail on felony charges, but was later charged with second-degree assault after New York government Kathy Hochul personally intervened in the case.
Bui Van Phu (pictured) was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after he hit a restaurant, fractured his skull and caused a brain haemorrhage
Bui was called a ‘imminent threat to the community’ at a parole hearing after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered him back in prison
In June, a man was caught on CCTV throwing a woman onto the subway tracks in the Bronx.
A week earlier, a man had severed his wrist and severed arteries in another part of the Bronx subway after an argument over loud music.
Days before that attack, another assailant pulled a knife on another man on an Atlantic Avenue subway platform before stabbing him multiple times in the head and torso.
In April, subway gunman Frank James was charged with federal terrorism after shooting 10 and injuring 23 during a rampage on a Brooklyn train during its morning run.
A month later, a Goldman Sachs employee, Daniel Enriquez, was killed after being randomly shot in the head on his way to brunch.
Daniel Enriquez (pictured) was shot and killed in a random attack on the New York subway. He originally planned to take an Uber, but decided to take the subway instead due to the high prices of the ride-sharing platform.
Frank James (pictured) was charged with a federal offense against terrorism for opening fire on a crowded Brooklyn subway in April, shooting 10 and injuring 23.
Mayor Eric Adams (pictured) has been heavily criticized, especially by victims’ families, for failing to tackle crime in New York
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, an ex-cop and kept a promise to stop crime in the city, has been criticized along with the NYPD for failing to do so.
The number of transit crimes increased by 45.8 percent in the past year, in addition to a 32.4 percent increase in burglaries, a 44.6 percent increase in large-scale thefts, a 38.1 percent increase in robberies and an increase in of 19.7 percent in crimes.
In June, Adams was furious with prosecutors and judges for clearing suspected gunmen, allowing them to unleash more gunfire in New York — saying the “bad guys no longer take them seriously.”
At a news conference with NYPD officials in Brooklyn, Adams praised police for “laser targeting the gunmen” and making arrests, but demanded that “the other team do their part.”
“The courts must prosecute. Judges need to make sure they stay inside,” he said.
“Everyone has to do their part. If not, they go out and come back.”