Police are asking for the public's help to identify an armed robber who they say has been preying on elderly residents in Brooklyn and Queens.
Investigators released photos of the suspect on Sunday.
The suspect struck an 83-year-old woman in the face on Saturday at her Brooklyn residence, but didn't rob her, police said.
The elderly victim, Erin Van Schendel, told NBC 4 New York that the mugger followed her into her house and pistol whipped her.
"I guess I just got socked in the face. I dont remember really very much," she said.
The suspect struck before that on March 19 at about 5:15 p.m. near the corner of Prospect Place and Carlton Avenue in Brooklyn. He followed a man to his residence and robbed him. He then spotted an 81-year-old woman and robbed her at gunpoint, police said. He fled with about $330.
“Crazy, that’s really ridiculous,” Jagoda Marcherska said. “I don’t know what’s going on with the world.”
“That’s disgusting. I mean it’s disgusting to rob anybody. But to go after somebody who can’t protect themselves at all,” another resident said.
“It’s definitely cowardly. It’s a cowardly thing to do,” Avi Ivatorov said.
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On March 2, the suspect, armed with a handgun, grabbed a 91-year-old woman from behind and put her in a choke-hold, police said. He pushed her into the vestibule of the building she was about to enter on 9th Street in Brooklyn and encountered a 50-year-old man. He robbed both at gunpoint and fled with about $370 dollars, investigators said.
“He pushed me. ‘Give me the money.’ Choking me… three times. ‘Give me the money,’” the 91-year-old woman told reporters earlier this month.
The same man is wanted for a Feb. 11 robbery of a 71-year-old woman in the vicinity of Prospect Place and 6th Avenue in Brooklyn. He hit her in the face and made off with $375.
He is also accused of robbing a 76-year-old woman and an 87-year-old man at knife-point on Jan. 20 in Queens. He fled with about $800, police said.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or the Crime Stoppers website.
