The NYPD is searching for a man who pushed a 68-year-old woman down the steps of her church in Queens on Sunday morning.
According to the surveillance footage provided by the New York Post, the man who committed this disturbing crime snatched the woman’s purse and rode off in her car as she lied on the ground in pain. The church’s pastor, Father Konstantinos Kalogridis told authorities that the victim was walking to the entrance of the church when the young attacker struck her and ran off with her personal belongings.
“She’s a parishioner of our church who was coming to church to attend the service in the morning. I was in the office during the service but when I saw the footage of what happened, it was horrible,” Kalogridis told The Post in a phone interview. “I can’t believe — right on the top of the steps of the church — to do this to an elderly woman,” Kalogridis continued. “I hope they find this guy and they go to jail.” The woman was initially hospitalized in critical condition, but Kalogridis said he had since visited her and her condition had stabilized.
“She’s a regular parishioner,” the pastor said. “She has a wonderful family… and she has her faith in the Lord and she’s a humble person that would give her very best to her family and her community.”
“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 added. “And even [when] the nurses saw me visit her, they would say, ‘Oh, she’s so sweet! So nice!’”
The woman’s stolen purse held $300, a cellphone, a credit card, and — conveniently for the suspect — her car keys, authorities said.
Police released a video Monday of the suspect, believed to be between 18 and 25 years old, running off with the senior’s bag.
“[Parishioners] were shocked because we don’t have incidents like that here in this area of the neighborhood,” Kalogridis said. “There was fear, they were angry and sad for the woman as she went through this.”
The pastor said the NYPD’s local 107th Precinct has opted to increase its presence around the church as they search for the attacker