A 90-year-old woman was hospitalized in stable condition after a stranger threw a trash-filled baby crib at her on a Brooklyn sidewalk Monday morning, according to police.
The attack unfolded around 9:45 a.m. On Brighton Beach Avenue near Brighton 5th Street, a busy commercial stretch in the seaside neighborhood, the NYPD said. The elderly pedestrian was walking along the block when a man in a blue hoodie ran up to her, seized a discarded crib that had been left beside a garbage can, and hurled it at her with the refuse still inside.
The impact sent the nonagenarian falling onto her side, and garbage spilled across the pavement around her, footage of the incident shows. The attacker then fled the scene without rendering aid.
Two pedestrians among several others on the block stopped to assist the fallen woman, according to the surveillance video. Emergency responders transported her to Coney Island Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition following the unprovoked assault.
No arrests had been made as of the latest reports, and the NYPD released a still image of the suspect in hopes of generating leads. Investigators described him as wearing a blue hoodie at the time of the attack.
The incident fits a disturbing pattern of violence against elderly New Yorkers that has intensified dramatically in recent years. Assaults on residents over 65 have jumped 14% compared to last year and surged 143% over the same period in 2018, according to NYPD data. Department officials have pointed to what they called an “astronomical” 50% increase in recidivist attackers who target seniors and reoffend within 30 days.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about Monday’s attack to contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish-speaking callers. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website or via the @NYPDTips account on X.