Violent Mother-Son Mugging In Newark Caught On Video

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- In a crime caught on camera, a mother and son were violently attacked walking down a snowy Newark street Saturday.

As CBS 2's Lou Young reported, surveillance footage shows the victims walking on a sidewalk in the city's Ironbound section early in the evening just before Olga Patrone, 66, is punched and falls to the ground. The assailants root through her purse for cash and a cellphone. Her son, Pablo Patrone, 36, then struggles with the muggers, who beat him to keep him down and grab a bag of groceries before they flee. A photo taken at the scene shows Pablo bloody moments after the assault.

The assailants are still on the loose.

Pablo, a carpenter, has lived in Newark for 15 years. His mother was visiting from Uruguay.

Pablo summed up his emotions in one word: "scared."

Horrified residents, whose surveillance camera captured the attack, are seen on the front porch moments after the mugging at East Kinney and Van Buren streets, one armed with a snow shovel.

They couldn't believe what was happening.

"Just looking at it, it made me feel so mad, like it could've been a family member, one of my family members," a woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Young.  "It made me feel sad and scared at the same time."

Police are still interviewing the victims. Neighbors say they want more patrols in a part of town that they say feels less safe than it once did.

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