Seniors find they have to have their heads on a swivel to stay safe
The most vulnerable New Yorkers are taking it on the chin – and everywhere else – as felony assaults against seniors have doubled since 2019, The Post has learned.
The NYPD has recorded 1,228 felony assaults against people aged 65 and over so far this year — compared to only 608 in pre-Covid 2019.
The shocking surge comes as assaults in NYC overall are slightly down, by .3%.
Advertisement
7 Caregiver Krystyna Gajewska, 66, and Eileen, 87, make sure they're home by dark.
Helayne Seidman
Things have gotten so bad that some adult children have hired aides to keep their elderly parents from being Gotham's next crime victim.
An Upper West Side resident and retired principal who identified herself as Eileen, 87, said her son hired someone to be with her when she takes walks.
'When you get to be 88, you realize you have to protect yourself from your environment in ways younger people don't know,' the octogenarian said. 'Because they are not as easily assaulted as somebody my age.'
Advertisement
Attacks on the elderly so far this year run the gamut from random punches to bludgeonings to slashings, according to the NYPD. Some of the most shocking include:
A 66-year-old woman was struck in the head by a stranger wielding a golf club around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 25 in an unprovoked attack in the subway system, police said. The woman was left with a gash on the left side of her head, police said.
An 86-year-old woman was shoved from behind into a pole — breaking her teeth — in a random attack near the exit of Morton Williams on Third Avenue near East 63rd Street on March 23, cops said.
A 67-year-old man was slashed in the the head by a stranger with a large knife while riding the subway in an unproked attack on a C train in Brooklyn on March 15, cops said. The suspect was arrested when passengers flagged down cops at the next stop.
A 72-year-old woman was randomly kicked down a staircase at the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue subway station in Queens just after 11 p.m. March 1, cops said. The attacker said nothing before attacking the victim, sending her tumbling backwards down the stairs, cops said. The badly bruised victim was taken to the hospital.
7 A 67-year-old man was slashed in the head with a large knife while riding on a C train in Brooklyn.
David Burns
Advertisement
The NYPD has made arrests in 962 of the 1,228 assaults on seniors this year — 78% of cases, a spokesperson said. More than half of the people arrested had a prior arrest record.
The spokesperson stressed that the entire criminal justice system has to work to bring the assaults under control.
'The NYPD has played their part, arresting individuals who are assaulting vulnerable, elderly New Yorkers,' the spokesperson said. 'Our city must be safe for all New Yorkers, regardless of their age, and we need every aspect of the criminal justice system to play their part to ensure that we stop the revolving door for recidivists.'
7 Police were seeking a man who allegedly pushed an 86-year-old woman to the ground in Manhattan.
DCPI
Advertisement
Poland native Krystyna Gajewska, 66, works as Eileen's caregiver, said the two are vigilant.
'The bottom line — we don't go at night,' she said. 'We stay home.'
7 A woman was struck in the head with a golf club in lower Manhattan.
DCPI
The caregiver called for more cops walking the beat.
7 Police made arrests in the majority of the assaults on seniors so far this year, according to the NYPD.
David Burns
'Not sitting in the car — walking around, looking,' she said, describing what good cops do. 'There are so many [people] that have mental problems. There's so many homeless.'
Upper West Sider Paul Trahan also makes sure to be home when night falls.
'I've made it a point to stay home at night,' said Trahan, 86. 'I'm not nearly as well physically able to deal with any such problem now. So that's all the more reason for me to stay home — and say the right prayers.'
Advertisement
7 Paul Trahan, 86, only goes out during the day to avoid trouble.
Helayne Seidman
Bronx native Gloria Wiggins, 80, had some advice for seniors: keep your head on a swivel.
'My neck is killing me,' she said. 'I'm constantly looking around and watching.'
Riverdale, Bronx, resident George Timko, 77, was saddened to hear about an increase in assaults against the elderly but said he didn't plan to make any changes to his life in the city.
Advertisement
7 Bronx resient George Timko, 77, said that he wasn't aware there was an increase in assaults against seniors but that he still feels safe.
Helayne Seidman
'I don't feel less safe,' he said. 'I've lived most of my life in the city … I go about my day in the city.'
One policing expert suggested a public awareness campaign to make sure seniors know they're in danger.
Advertisement
'You can't have a 100% increase mid-year without acknowledging that this is a significant issue,' said Chris Herrmann, a former NYPD criminologist who is now a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
'I wouldn't fearmonger and say 'stay indoors' but the more simple stuff,' he said. 'Spend more time in groups, be aware of your surroundings.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Rescued Queens Malinois puppies ready for adoption
Six weeks after dozens of Belgian Malinois pups were rescued from a filthy Queens apartment coated in urine and feces, the young survivors are bouncing back — learning to play, trust and just be dogs. Among them is Lafayette, the youngest of the 48 dogs pulled from the hoarder's home. He was just 3 weeks old, toothless and so weak rescuers feared the worst. 'There was a question mark at one point about whether he would survive,' said Rachel Maso, director of animal behavior at NYC's ASPCA, who assisted in the two-day rescue. Advertisement 5 The puppies showed 'immense resilience and excitement,' a sharp contrast to the terrified adult dogs who struggled to adjust after living in the cramped Queens apartment, Maso said. Helayne Seidman Now, Lafayette and four of the other puppies named after NYC streets — Wooster, Broome, Grand and Rivington — are healthy, playful and finally ready for adoption. The Post was recently given a sneak peak at their progress. Animal welfare officials, alongside the NYPD's Emergency Services Unit, responded to Isaac Yadgarov's seventh-floor Forest Hills apartment on May 8 and found a disturbing scene — dozens of dogs, ranging from 3 weeks to 3 years old, crammed into a foul-smelling, urine- and feces-covered unit, prosecutors said. Advertisement Some were stuffed into closets and cupboards with no access to fresh air or sunlight. Three were in such poor condition they had to be euthanized. 5 Officials discovered nearly 50 Belgian Malinois packed into a small Queens apartment, where urine and feces covered the floor, and some dogs were confined to closets and cupboards. ACC NYC The Belgian Malinois is a smart, agile and loyal breed prized for its trainability. Widely used by police and military, they excel in detection, patrol and protection roles and can grow to be 80 pounds. Of the 48 dogs rescued, 14 of the youngest and most medically vulnerable were taken by the ASPCA. The remaining 31 were transferred to the Animal Care Center in Queens and other partner rescue groups for evaluation and care — and have all since been placed. Advertisement 'You could smell the apartment in the hallway,' Maso, 39, said. 'They had extensive fecal soiling, and . . . you could guess that they didn't have food, water, ventilation.' 5 Rivington, once wary and protective of his food, has learned to share and play thanks to weeks of care and socialization at the ASPCA's Manhattan center. Helayne Seidman While many of the older dogs came out terrified of humans and unable to walk on leashes, Maso said the puppies showed something else: joy. 'What we saw in the puppies was an immense amount of resilience and excitement and wanting to interact with people,' she said. Advertisement Rivington, slightly older and from a different litter, initially was hesitant and refused to let other puppies near his food bowl — a sign he may have had to compete for meals in the overcrowded apartment, Maso said. 5 Lafayette, the tiniest survivor of the Queens hoarding nightmare, was just weeks old and fighting for his life when rescued. Now, he's bouncing around like any happy, healthy pup. Helayne Seidman 'It's very obvious the conditions of the apartment and the way they were kept impacted their ability to function outside in the world,' she said. After weeks of socialization, medical care and puppy-safe training, however, Rivington and the other pups have grown, healed and learned to trust, Maso said. Five are now 'thriving' and officially up for adoption at the ASPCA's Manhattan facility, while the other nine have already been adopted. 5 Following weeks of medical treatment and socialization, five Belgian Malinois puppies rescued from the apartment are now healthy, thriving and waiting for new homes at the ASPCA in Manhattan. Helayne Seidman Yadgarov, 37, faces 96 charges — two for each dog — including animal torture and failure to provide proper care, and could face up to a year behind bars. He was released on his own recognizance on June 2, and the case remains under investigation.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man, 54, dies after running away from cops in Riverside Park: police sources
A 54-year-old man died of an apparent heart attack after he tried to run away from police inside Manhattan's Riverside Park, police sources said Saturday. Cops patrolling through the park found the man drinking an open container of alcohol by W. 137th St. and Riverside Drive at about 10:05 p.m. on Thursday. When the man couldn't provide police with any identification, the officers took him into custody, a police source with knowledge of the case said. They were escorting him from the park when he bolted away from them. The cops chased after him and tackled him to the ground, the police source said. A few moments later, the man claimed he was having trouble breathing. EMS rushed the man to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where he died following some kind of cardiac episode, officials said. His name was not immediately disclosed as cops track down family members. The tackle was a standard NYPD takedown and not overly aggressive, the police source said. An autopsy has been slated to determine exactly how the man died. Since he was in custody, detectives of the NYPD's Force Investigation Division is reviewing the case. None of the officers involved have been disciplined or removed from patrol as the investigation continues, officials said.
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Brooklyn businessman busted for selling ‘dangerous' fireworks: Officials
The FDNY busted a Brooklyn business owner for running an illegal fireworks operation out of a Flatbush warehouse this week, confiscating $250,000 worth of dangerous explosives just before Independence Day, officials said. Lisen Pan, who runs Everbright Trading Co., was arrested Tuesday for allegedly selling fireworks labeled as 'Morning Glory,' 'Tomahawk,' 'Roman Candles,' 'Something Special,' '49 Shots,' 'Brooklyn Fireworks,' 'Short Circuit' and 'Tec-9,' according to a Brooklyn District Attorneys Office criminal complaint. 5 The FDNY investigated the Brooklyn business after being tipped off to illegal fireworks by another law enforcement agency. Stefano Giovannini FDNY investigators began looking into the warehouse after Suffolk County cops alerted them that they arrested a man who told them he bought illegal fireworks at the business, officials said. 'There were many different styles — products that could cause fires here in New York City due to our tightly cramped nature,' FDNY Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn said. 'They land on roofs sometimes and they cause fires over the Fourth of July season.' 5 FDNY investators made repeated visits to the business and saw that it was selling explosives. Stefano Giovannini 5 The business owner was arrested and charged in Brooklyn. Stefano Giovannini 5 The fireworks had inventive names like 'Something Special.' Stefano Giovannini 5 The fireworks were taken to the NYPD's firing range in Rodman's Neck and destroyed. Stefano Giovannini The fireworks were hauled away in a FDNY hazmat unit truck to be destroyed at the NYPD firing range in Rodman's Neck in the Bronx, Flynn said. Pan, of Queens, was charged with weapons possession, reckless endangerment and unlawful sale of fireworks, authorities said.
