Brazen bandits in Queens beat a senior citizen in broad daylight and then robbed him of $17,000 in cash he was carrying, the NYPD said.
The Middle Village incident unfolded about 1:20 p.m. Thursday, police said.
The 66-year-old victim was walking on 71st Street towards Juniper Valley Road when an unknown individual approached him from behind, pushed him to the ground and began punching and kicking him, cops said.
The man valiantly tried to fight off the bandit, who could be seen in an 18-second video clip dragging the victim along the sidewalk after he refused to give up his bag.
A 66-year-old man was attacked and robbed of $17,000 in cash in Middle Village, Queens on Thursday afternoon. DCPIBut the suspect ultimately wrestled the cash-filled bag away, and ran into a waiting maroon Ford Fusion.
The car was last seen heading towards Eliot Avenue, police said.
The victim suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene, cops said.
Neighbors said the area has been in decline the last two to three years.
Barbara and Rafal Farion, both 42, who have lived across the street from the victim for 18 years, said thefts have become commonplace and residents need to get involved, noting the robbery happened during the early afternoon and “so many people passed by. No one stopped, no one helped.”
Rafal Farion said new legislators and empowering the police might solve some of the problems.
The NYPD on Saturday released a video and photos of the two suspects, who were spotted inside a nearby drug store before the robbery.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
Additional reporting by Joe Marino
