A 76-year-old tried to play peacekeeper during a brawl on a Bronx bus and wound up with a broken nose for his troubles, police said Wednesday.

The elderly victim was riding a northbound Bx21 bus around noon March 5, when he tried to intervene between two men arguing as the bus was approaching a stop at 158th Street and 3rd Avenue in Melrose –– but instead of breaking apart the argument, he ended up getting viciously beaten down, police said.

One of the men involved in the fight grabbed the victim’s neck and threw him to the floor of the bus and began punching him in the face before running out the doors, police said.

The victim was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, where he was treated for his nose and lacerations to the face.