Police from the 115th Precinct are looking for a panhandler who allegedly assaulted and robbed an elderly man who was trying to help her inside a Junction Boulevard McDonald’s in Corona last week.
The 79-year-old victim was standing inside the restaurant at 37-19 Junction Blvd. just before 11 a.m. on Monday, March 28, when the woman approached and asked if he could spare any change for her. When the victim took out his wallet to give the woman some money, she snatched all of the cash in his hand, police said.
The victim attempted to physically stop her but fell to the ground during the struggle and suffered pain as the woman fled the McDonald’s on foot.
EMS responded to the scene but the victim refused medical attention. The panhandler fled with approximately $80 in cash, police said.
The NYPD released video surveillance of the suspect calmly leaving the restaurant. She is described as 20 to 30 years of age last seen wearing a blue winter jacket over a dark hoodie with black sweatpants and dark sneakers.
Anyone with information in regard to the identity of the suspects is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
