A 90-year-old Brooklyn woman was walking down the sidewalk Monday morning when a stranger apparently decided to turn somebody else’s garbage into a weapon.
Surveillance video from Brighton Beach shows a man grabbing a discarded piece of baby furniture filled with trash and hurling it at the woman. The blow knocks her hard onto the pavement.
The attack happened around 9:45 a.m. Aug. 31 near Brighton Beach Avenue and Brighton 5th Street. Police described it as unprovoked, and the woman was taken to a hospital after people nearby stopped to help her.
She suffered a fractured hip, CBS New York reported. Police were still searching for the man days later.
No Warning
Embedded media follows; please allow a moment to load.
The footage gives the attack its particularly senseless character. The woman appears to be simply passing through the area when the man reaches for the discarded object and throws it into her path.
Two people then approach and try to help her. FOX 5 New York reported that they initially tried to get the woman back on her feet, but she had to sit back down.
Another detail in the footage drew attention online. A commenter watching the video noticed that the man appeared to have just come from the nearby subway station.
That observation was independently reflected in News 12’s reporting, which described the video as showing the man rushing out of the Brighton Beach subway station and almost immediately grabbing the trash-filled item.
The commenter suggested transit cameras could provide another view of him. That is a suggestion, not evidence that additional footage exists or that police have obtained it.
Still Wanted
Police released a surveillance image of the man they are seeking. He was last seen wearing a dark or blue hooded sweatshirt, black pants and white sneakers.
His identity remained unknown Thursday, and police had not publicly identified a motive for the attack. Claims online that the assault was a hate crime are unsupported by the information released so far.
The woman was treated at NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health and was reported in stable condition.
Anyone with information can contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.