Veteran, 81, is sucker punched and carjacked by teenagers while out delivering pizza in lawless Chicago
An elderly man who has been delivering pizza in Chicago for four decades was punched in the face and robbed before his car was stolen in a brazen carjacking on the city’s Northwest Side.
Ernie Aimone, 81, explained how the sudden attack came after he made a delivery in the Jefferson Park neighborhood.
A man approached from behind before punching Aimone in the head, causing him to fall to the ground.
The attacker demanded his car keys and then punched Aimone in the face, leaving him in fear for his life.
An 81-year-old pizza delivery man, Ernie Aimone, was robbed and carjacked on Chicago’s Northwest Side
Ernie Aimone was attacked while crossing the street after making a delivery, punched in the face and had his car stolen. He reenacted the attack for TV cameras
State police later found his car, a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe, but it had sustained significant damage after being involved in an accident
Aimone, a retired Army surgeon sergeant who fought in Vietnam, chose not to fight and instead stayed on the ground as the attackers fled in his car.
“They said, ‘Give me the keys, give me the keys,'” Aimone said ABC7 “And they punched me from behind and hit me in the face. I feared for my life.’
Chicago Police confirmed the incident happened on North Ludlam Avenue on Wednesday around 9 p.m.
State police later found his car, a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe, but it had sustained significant damage after being involved in an accident.
One teenage suspect has been arrested, the others are still on the run.
Aimone has been a dedicated pizza delivery driver for Joe’s on Higgins for four decades and is said to be loved by his coworkers and customers alike.
“They said, ‘Give me the keys, give me the keys,'” Aimone, who fought in Vietnam, told ABC7. “And they punched me from behind and hit me in the face. I was afraid for my life’
Aimone, a loyal employee of Joe’s Pizza for 40 years, plans to return to work as soon as he gets another car. GoFundMe helped pay for his new car. He is pictured next to Dan Ciolino with the Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce, far left, Frank and Gina Demonte of the restaurant, and Aimone’s daughter, Robyn.
It was a complete wreck and the car insurance company refuses to pay for a new one
Police found Aimone’s car on the same night of the attack, but it was damaged
Ernie Aimone, 81, has worked at Joes for 40 years and is a popular member of the community
“He’s like family to us,” Frank Demonte said with Joe’s. ‘He has seen me grow up from an early age. He worked for my father.’
‘Ernie is very special to us. It always has been that way,” Frank’s wife Gina added.
Despite the traumatic event, Aimone promises to return to work and make deliveries as soon as he can get another car.
“I have a daughter and a son,” Ernie said. “I have to live for them.”
His insurance company refuses to pay for a new car because he was carjacked while at work
a GoFundMe The organization, set up in response to the incident by the Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce, has so far raised nearly $27,000 toward the purchase of a new vehicle, including a $1,000 donation from the pizzeria itself.
“He’s like a local legend,” said the Chamber’s Dan Ciolino. “He’s been loyal to Joe’s for 40 years. He served our country. He deserves our support in his time of need.”