Exclusive: 78-Year-Old Man Brutally Beaten In Union County Speaks Out
ELIZABETH, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The search is on for the heartless criminal who brutally beat an elderly man in Union County, New Jersey last week.
He was out for his morning coffee when he attacked him, robbing him of the few dollars he had.
CBS2's Valerie Castro spoke exclusively with the victim, who recalls the attack early last Thursday morning. The large black bruise on the face of 78-year-old Miguel Gomez says it all.
In Spanish, Gomez says the attacker broke his face and his arm, and he describes how the brazen assailant jumped him from behind and threw him onto the ground as he was on the way to a local Cuban bakery.
A picture posted to Facebook, too graphic to fully show, was taken shortly after the attack.
The suspect didn't get away with very much, Gomez says it was no more than six dollars.
Carlos Trujullo is a friend of Gomez's and a community activist who says the Elizabeth Police Department is strapped for resources and bogged down with cases.
"We're seeing an increase in crime and this is just one example of what's happening in our community," Trujillo said.
Police tell CBS2 they are investigating the incident, however no one would talk about the case on camera. Gomez's nephew claims detectives have yet to look for surveillance video.
Meanwhile, Trujillo says that Gomez is depressed from both he aggravation and aggression of the brutal attack.
People in the area say they've seen the suspect before.
"To know that person is still walking around, I find it real messed up," Gomez's nephew Jairo Gonzales said.
That nephew says he now walks with his uncle everywhere he goes to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.
