© NY PostMaria Altagracia Vasquez, 94, was in a clothing store called Regines on 116th Street on Sept. 7 when a young male thief followed her into the store and took $600 in cash from her.
They're robbed as they walk their dogs, go on moonlit strolls or sit waiting for buses. They're robbed as they lean on their canes or sit in their wheelchairs. In some cases, they're shoved to the ground and even kicked while they're down.
More than once a day on average this year, someone over the age of 65 was mugged somewhere in New York City. And the numbers are up, particularly in the Bronx and Manhattan.
City seniors know they are vulnerable — and given the choice between safety and freedom, they're choosing the former, limiting what they do and where they go in order to keep safe.
"It's not right that they are targeting senior citizens," Jorge Baiz, 75, said as he sat in his motorized wheelchair outside the Soundview Senior Center in the Bronx. "It's scary. That's why when the sun goes down, I go home. I am not outside at night."
Strong-arm robberies of senior citizens are up 7.8 percent citywide, stats show. There were 316 this year through Sept. 18, compared with the 293 for the same period last year. Muggings of the elderly were markedly higher in Manhattan South, with 43 seniors victimized between Jan. 1 and Sept. 18 — nearly
a 140 percent increase over the same period last year.
Comment: Is this the standard procedure for cops to manhandle and pepper spray a 15-year-old girl after she was just knocked unconscious in a bike crash?! It seems almost unbelievable but for the fact that it's happening more and more all the time.