A brazen mugger was caught punching and robbing an elderly woman outside Queens church in New York on Sunday.
The woman, 68, was viciously attacked and robbed outside St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Queens, the New York Post reported.
While the age of the assailant is unknown, it is believed he is significantly younger than the victim.
The man reportedly ambushed the woman as she walked towards the church’s entrance.
She was punched in the face, which sent her tumbling down the steps, the Father Konstantinos Kalogridis, the church’s pastor, said.
The mugger made off with the victim’s purse, which contained $300, a cellphone, a credit card, and car keys.
He later fled the scene in the woman’s 2006 Nissan Altima.
The victim was left lying on the ground in severe pain.
Purse-snatching bully punches woman, 68, in face and down NYC church stairs — then takes her car while as she lies in agony https://t.co/nELJB1RXME pic.twitter.com/YFEIHnYtzh
— New York Post (@nypost) April 8, 2024
“She’s a parishioner of our church who was coming to church to attend the service in the morning,” Kalogridis told the New York Post.
“I was in the office during the service, but when I saw the footage of what happened, it was horrible.”
“I can’t believe — right on the top of the steps of the church — to do this to an elderly woman. I hope they find this guy and they go to jail.”
Watch
While the victim was in critical condition, she remains stable.
Kalogridis said he visited her.
“I gave her a blessing and gave her communion and I prayed for her, and we’re hoping she’ll come out strong and have a full recovery,” he continued, New York Post reported.
The NYPD has released video footage of the attack along with a still image of the suspect.
The police hope to identify the young man, who is believed to be between 18 and 25 years old.
READ: NYC ‘New Comers’ Given 7 Times More Money Benefits Than Military Families
