Police: Would-Be Robber Pushes 74-Year-Old Man Down Flight Of Stairs In The Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A 74-year-old man was pushed down a flight of stairs during an attempted robbery that was caught on surveillance video in his Bronx apartment building, police said.
It happened around noon Thursday in a building near Crotona Avenue and Claremont Parkway in Claremont, police said.
The elevator wasn't working, so the victim had to take the stairs to get to his sixth floor apartment, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.
Video shows Geronimo DeLeon, with groceries and cane in hand, walking up the stairwell behind his attacker. The suspect suddenly turns around and shoves him, sending him tumbling down to the bottom of the stairs.
As DeLeon lies on the ground, the suspect rifles through his pockets and then kicks him before running off empty-handed, police said.
Building superintendent Nelson Villegas is seen in another video running into the fleeing suspect, who was pretending to call for help for the victim.
"He [DeLeon] was screaming 'super,' but the suspect was also calling 'super,'" Villegas told CBS2's Steve Langford. "It kind of worked, He kind of tricked me into thinking the old man fell."
The suspect ran out of the building as the super rushed up the stairs to check on DeLeon, but surveillance cameras caught a clear picture of the suspect's face, which has been released by police.
Beforehand, the suspect had been hanging out in the lobby, at one point shooting the breeze with a deliveryman. He then decided upon his target and followed the older man up the stairs, Langford reported.
The cruel attack is a sobering reminder that security is fleeting.
"I guess we have security cameras here now, so maybe those will be helpful," said building resident Nestor Milanes.
He is described as black, approximately 6 feet 3 inches tall. He was dressed in a blue T-shirt, black shorts and black sneakers.
The victim was treated at St. Barnabas Hospital for minor injuries.
A day after the attack, DeLeon told Langford that his head and shoulder are hurting, but otherwise he's in good spirits.
"I feel OK," he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, visit the Crime Stoppers website or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and enter TIP577.
