What to Know
- A 31-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an apparently random attack on a 92-year-old woman in Manhattan four days ago, authorities say
- The woman hit her head on a fire hydrant as she was pushed. Jarring surveillance footage captured the attack, showing the woman walk along the street as a man is seen approaching her from the opposite direction
- The suspect, Rashid Brimmage of the Bronx, was charged with assault shortly after he was taken into custody Tuesday. Police believe he is the person seen on disturbing video shoving the woman to the ground on Third Avenue between 15th and 16th streets Friday afternoon
A 31-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an apparently random attack on a 92-year-old woman in Manhattan four days ago, authorities say.
The suspect, Rashid Brimmage of the Bronx, was charged with assault shortly after he was taken into custody Tuesday. Police believe he is the person seen on disturbing video shoving the 92-year-old woman named Geraldine to the ground on Third Avenue between 15th and 16th streets on Friday afternoon.
The woman hit her head on a fire hydrant as she was pushed. Jarring surveillance footage captured the attack. It shows the woman walking along the street. A man is seen approaching her from the opposite direction.
As they pass, the man calmly flicks out one arm and topples the woman, along with her shopping cart, to the pavement. She was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
"When they helped me up, I said 'what happened' because I didn't even know what happened. It was completely out of the blue," said Geraldine, who was born and raised in the city. She said she never feared walking alone through her Gramercy Park neighborhood, until now.
Days after the attack, Geraldine said she is feeling better overall, despite where her head hit the hydrant still hurting, and says she is afraid to go back outside.
Local
"I'm so happy he was arrested. Boy, he should stay in jail and think about what he did. Try to change, and try to make himself better," the nonagenarian victim said.
It wasn't immediately clear if Brimmage had an attorney who could comment on his arrest Tuesday in Harlem. He is facing assault charges.
A senior law enforcement official tells News 4 Brimmage is a recidivist with 100 prior arrests who has gotten a desk appearance ticket for his most recent ones because of bail reform. He is an NYPD co-response client, which means police have responded with social workers when dealing with him. Brimmage has an extensive history of being emotionally disturbed in police encounters as well.
He’s been arrested three times since February for alleged assaults. On March 9, he allegedly punched a 29-year-old man in an unprovoked attack at a pizza shop in Manhattan. A few weeks before that, Brimmage allegedly punched a 39-year-old female at a Dunkin’ Donuts in the Bronx. On Feb. 4 he allegedly punched a 39-year-old man in the face at that same Dunkin' Donuts. In the latter two cases, he received desk appearance tickets.
Brimmage is currently a suspect in a grand larceny that happened on Feb.19 at the 116th St. train station in which a woman had $120 stolen from her purse, the senior law enforcement official said. He's also a transit sex crime recidivist.
Police fear Brimmage will receive yet another desk appearance ticket for the latest incident, freeing him to attack at random again, the senior official said.
