Sunday, September 6, 2020

74-year-old woman robbed and punched on 14th Street; MTA driver assaulted on Astor Place



The NYPD is searching for three teen suspects accused of robbing then punching a 74-year-old woman Thursday evening on 14th Street at First Avenue.

According to ABC 7, one of the teen suspects snatched the woman's purse. When she realized what happened, she tried to confront the teen and was sucker punched by one of his friends.


The victim, who reportedly refused treatment at the scene, has lived in NYC since 1963. She told ABC 7 that she wants to see this stretch of 14th Street "cleaned up."

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Updated 9/12: Police have arrested the couple. Meanwhile, the NYPD is looking for a man and woman accused of assaulting an MTA bus driver on Astor Place this past Monday evening.

Per amNY, the 35-year-old bus driver was traveling on his M2 route when he witnessed the couple threatening another passenger. He reportedly ejected the pair on Lafayette at Eighth Street.

When the driver went on break a short distance away outside 51 Astor Place, the man and woman forcibly opened the door ... the man then told the woman beat up the driver. She then punched him in the face.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

That McDonalds has been an old school problem for a while. 14th and 1st is a good portion of my Citizen alerts.

Anonymous said...

The cruelty here is horrific. It’s shocking to see that kid punch an elderly woman. The girl doesn’t appear to have done anything, but I hope these two boys are caught soon. Total bullies. If the girl is smart, she will turn her awful friends in.

Ronnie said...

that stretch of 14th st particularly the McDonalds has been problematic for years

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry but I really don't understand the purpose of these blotter-style posts here. If I want racialized sensationalism I'll go to the Post. Knowing that a restaurant I like has closed is informative; knowing that a person I don't know was assaulted by another person I don't know within a couple miles of me serves no purpose other than to make me cagey and reactionary.

Anonymous said...

that stretch of 14th has become a resplendent open air bazaar and the premier location for stolen razors from duane reade - they should also be applauded for single handedly cornering the used baby spoon market & you wont find cheaper batteries anywhere!

mvd said...

Why would you not want to be informed of the various dangers which might be encountered in our neighborhood? And I am not sure what about the report on either incident is "racialized."

Anonymous said...

As a 73 year old woman who walks all over the EV, I do appreciate EV Grieve keeping us up to date on the happenings in the neighborhood. No, I wouldn’t be interested in reading about two guys getting into a fight over some unknown argument, but this is a story relevant to me every day.

Anonymous said...

I'm all for these blotter style posts. Just because you don't want to see it doesn't mean it's not happening. You can choose to live in la la land but other people find it helpful to know that this stupid shit is happening in their neighborhood. I HIGHLY doubt EVG is posting for awareness and not because the suspects are of a certain race.

Anonymous said...

'racailized sensationalism'? This is fact based reporting on a location in the neighborhood that has crime issues. People should be aware of that. They didn't comment on the race of anyone involved. If this post helps the NYPD solve the case and gets these people off the street it's good for the area.

Anonymous said...

@ANON 2:14 Sorry but I don't see how this is sensationalistic inane way. Grieve is not embellishing the story for shock value. He is simply reporting the facts of an event that took place in the EAST VILLAGE. This is an East Village blog and some of us would like to know about not just the good but also the bad and the ugly.

Anonymous said...

Those LINKNYC kiosk should runs these news clips of these criminals until they are arrested.

Anonymous said...

@2:14pm: Then don't read that post!! Easy enough.

And WTF does "cagey and reactionary" mean? Are you *typically* in a cage, as in prison or something? Maybe you need some anger management classes. Or adulting classes. Or just to get the hell out of NYC, b/c you can't cope.

Sarah said...

These posts do attract the worst element.

I avoid that stretch in front of the McD's when I can because there's just no distancing.

panthera said...

@ANON 2:14 Then don't read the article. It's a neighborhood blog, and this stuff is happening in the neighborhood. EVGreive is fair and responsible with his selections, and if anything, liberal. The observation of race was yours, not an editor.

Anonymous said...

I always make it a point to avoid walking down 14th street as much as possible. If I have to go to TJ or WF I walk down a different street and cut across. Everyone in Manhattan knows 14th Street is the worst street from AVE C all the way up to 8th AV. Needs to be fixed ASAP.

Anonymous said...

@12:45am: Can you explain what would be involved in "fixing" 14th St.?

To me, if people behaved like civilized, decent human beings, ALL of these problems would disappear. But no, we have the lazy, the dishonest, the drugged-up, the crazies, the crusties, the bro's, and whoever else is bored and/or looking for a way to amuse themselves doing antisocial things. We have people who behave badly just b/c for some twisted reason they think it's "funny" to knock over old people. Yeah, it's as funny as a broken leg.

Anonymous said...

EV Grieve does a great job in reporting all the news in the EV....from celebrations and concerts to protesters and violence, from human interest to human horror and stories that make you smile to stories that make you cringe. It is non-political in its postings and takes a fair point of view. It does not call out people for being any particular color, race, creed or religion. It presents each post for what it is. Good job EV Grieve. Keep it up. The truth is always welcome.
As for the schmuck who thinks that the post is racially motivated, I say...it is you who are the racist. If you play the race card every time then you are just like the little child crying Wolf!

Anonymous said...

The video of this woman is difficult to watch. I can't even conceive of doing to that to another human being. What is wrong with people? I hope the victim is doing better and has filed a police report. Many of those hoodlums (is that even PC to say now?) have nothing better to do than to wreak havoc, harm others and destroy businesses. I visit 14th and A for TJ, Target, and the L train entrance via Tompkins Park since I live nearby. This particular area down the sidewalk of MC'Ds is trouble. I avoid it like the plague because of all the activity I've witnessed. I've seen kids get into brawls, pulling hair of strangers, punching, and stealing people's belongings. It's insanity. My question is why aren't they in school? Where are the parents? They are as young as twelve. It's alarming because some of them are being groomed to live and behave this way as adults.

I applaud EV Grieve for sharing these posts. As frightful as they are, it's important to stay abreast with what is happening in our community. I am not one for burying my head in the sand or turning a blind eye to things which don't directly affect me. I can't pretend none of this exists as crime soars and fellow neighbors are assaulted. It has gotten much worse. It also doesn't help for commenters to antagonize each other. We should be offering support during this uncertain period. I have the citizen app also. Some of the alerts I receive scare the absolute shit out of me. Stabbings, shootings, robberies, break ins are just an example of what it is happening in the EV. I've been tempted to delete it because of the dread I often feel when I read certain notifications, but it is a good platform in altering residents to incidents and avoiding specific areas. All of the latter, including events over the weekend, are just some of the reasons I've chosen not to go out anymore when it's dark outside. I just don't feel comfortable, which is sad. That doesn't make me paranoid. It makes me informed and safe. My heart just breaks for our city right now. :(

Anonymous said...

@10:00am: "Why aren't they in school?" That would be b/c NYC public schools don't open until Sept. 21st. Meanwhile a lot of these kids are running around without any supervision.

"Where are the parents?" Good question! I don't know. And I suspect that if anything happened to their kids, the parents would all say "But s/he was so good, and wanted to become a doctor" or some such thing.

I fear that in many households, there's not a lot of parenting going on - or at least not effective, sane parenting. Having a baby is the easy part; raising a good human being takes a hell of a lot of effort, and some parents don't seem to comprehend that.

And ALL of this contributes to the feeling that NYC is in the dumpster right now.

I'm older myself, and I definitely think hard about going out after dark. In the summer months when the days are long, I am willing to be out as long as there's still light. But once we hit the end of daylight savings time, I won't be leaving the house after dark unless it's an absolute emergency.

Thanks for nothing, de Blasio ... actually, LESS THAN NOTHING. What a total failure he is.

XTC said...

Most of the posts on this thread are sky-is-falling overreactions. Yes, NYC has taken a turn for the worst during CV19, however 14 St is nothing like it was in the late 70's and 80's when it, and Union Sq, was pretty much an open air drug bazaar. It was the place to cop pills (quaaludes were the shit) and dope of all varieties. And it does seem like some younger kids have more violent tendencies towards defenseless adults so I hope this doesn't get worse or become normalized behavior. Aside from the lack of upbringing, I'd venture a guess that the nation wide riots and anti-police vitriol feed into a mentality among some that it's ok to engage in thuggery because it's now open season, it's way of proving your badness, and it's fun. Sick to be sure, but a long way from from the bad old days when I saw someone beaten and stomped nearly to death in Union Sq Pk.

Anonymous said...

@5:39pm: Sorry to disagree with you, but for an older person, getting punched like that could lead to broken bones (including a broken hip) or, if you hit your head, even death. It could destroy that person's quality of life for the rest of their life, or leave them having to move into a nursing home.

The behavior shown in the video is FAR WORSE than the "bad old days" (and yes, I was here for them!), when you didn't see that happen in broad daylight. And these kids have to know that, today, there are security cameras EVERYWHERE, so their actions will be seen, but they obviously still feel they can do this to a woman with complete impunity.

These kids are doing it for "fun", for a "laugh" - and yes, sadly, b/c being a thug is now officially approved by the police and by the government at various levels.

Anonymous said...

For Anonymous @ 12:50 p.m.

I submitted my comment at 10 am.

I was referencing a time last year before COVID during the fall when I was walking past 14th and 1st in front of MC'Ds around eleven in the morning. That's why I asked why aren't these kids in school. It was a complete shit show watching them fight each other and total strangers. And on my way to NYU Medical center for appointments, on this very corner, I've seen more kids causing trouble on numerous occasions.

Perhaps these kids are raised with multiple siblings aside parents who either don't care or who work too much. I see your points. They are valid. I am not a father but I am a devoted uncle who has experience with youth, and who knows that children should be raised in a loving and supportive home. I think a majority of these kids who are out there creating mayhem don't have that, which is utterly heartbreaking. I wish I had a solution for this major issue plaguing urban areas.

And, yes. DeBlassio is a complete and abject failure whom never ceases to surprise us with his stupidity and ineptitude. I can't wait to see his pathetic ass thrown out of office come January 2022 if not sooner if we can help it. I'd gladly take Corey Johnson anyway over this twit.



XTC said...

@7:36- I agree that any kind of assault could lead to serious bodily harm, whether one is young or old. Again the difference between now and the late 70s - 80s is the absence of large scale open air drug activity which attracts way more criminal activity of all sorts. The issue of some kids being mean, cruel, even violent hasn't changed- possibly that is worse. What's new to this mix is CV19, daily street protests with violent offshoots, and an economic downturn unrelated to the usual causes. Unfortunately, I don't see quick fixes.

XTC said...

@7:36-Btw, the news reports this morning, if true, said the woman was not seriously injured. Hopefully she won't be mentally traumatized. I've had two fractured eye sockets, broken nose, ribs, teeth. I'm fine. I grew up with tough Irish kids- like they used to say "it only hurts for a little while, don't be afraid of nobody."

Anonymous said...

@9:21am: I don't think you appreciate how truly devastating this kind of physical attack can be for someone who is older. If that punk kid had knocked over a 20-year-old, the 20-year-old would likely get up & brush it off and keep going. But it's a VERY different situation if you're over 65, where your inherent balance is usually worse, and you may have something like a heart condition, where this kind of assault could lead you to having a full blown heart attack.

Again, I say: This kind of thing can utterly destroy, in just a few seconds, the quality of life of an older person for the entire rest of that person's life. It's the closest thing to murdering an older person that I can think of, and I'm not joking when I say that.

It's the difference between being able to conduct your own life and go about your errands, vs. being left crippled or worse, and becoming dependent on home-care aides or being in a nursing home b/c you can't take care of yourself.

Unless you are older, or have people close to you in your life who are older, you probably can't understand the danger this represents to the older population. It's a form of terrorism.

McCoy said...

none of the people in these posts have been caught, so I think it's extremely relevant reporting! for all of us to not only be aware of the potential danger but also so we can alert the authorities if they're spotted.

Anonymous said...

@9:30am: Well, it's nice that you're fine; my question is how old were you when you got all those injuries? Tell me if you were over age 65 when they happened.

Anonymous said...

Some people simply have no respect for other people. And I agree, when you're older this type of incident can be more dangerous for you and life altering.

XTC said...

@11:44- I'm not a young, chronologically speaking, but I'm quite fit. In fact I no longer think of life in terms of time- I think of it as an event. I was trying to make the point that anyone can suffer an injury at any age, but of course older folks are more of a risk, though not exclusively as that would be an ageist comment. Thankfully the lady in question suffered none of the things mentioned above that *could* have happened.

The point I was trying to make was not to live your life in FEAR. Because I think it creates a climate of fear to see these videos. Possibly these type of incidents are happening more frequently. I couldn't say. But the fact that nothing like this has ever happened to her in almost 60 years puts this ugly incident in context- old ladies aren't being being viciously attacked en masse like something out of a William Burroughs novel........but on the mean, mean streets of NYC you never know what's next.