A 68-year-old woman suffered a fractured skull as she was mugged on the steps of her Queens church on Sunday morning
“Horrible. I could not believe my eyes, seeing what he did to this lady,” Rev. Konstantinos Kalogridis of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church said, according to WNBC-TV.
“She was coming to church to pray, to participate. I don’t know what kind of a person this is but evil. Pure evil,” he said.
The 8:30 a.m. attack took place Sunday.
Surveillance video shows the woman walking up the steps to enter the church. A figure in a hooded sweatshirt runs up the steps to get to the top first. Once here, he shoves the woman down the steps.
Criminal pushes 68-year-old woman down the stairs in front of a church and then steals her purse and car in Queens, New York.
She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Who wants to bet he will be released without bail within 24-hours? pic.twitter.com/jUCTtWwxLo
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 9, 2024
Video shows him taking her purse before leaving.
The purse had $300, a cellphone, credit card and car keys, police said, according to WPIX-TV.
Has crime gotten worse in your area?
The woman was initially listed in critical condition at Booth Memorial Hospital.
Police said they have a lead on a suspect.
Family friend Daniel Coffaro, said the woman, who he referred to only by her first name of Irene, is now in stable condition in the intensive care unit with a fractured skull and a black eye, according to WABC-TV.
“Salt of the earth, godly woman, she wouldn’t even hurt a fly, she’s such a nice lady, anything, she would take the shirt off her back,” Coffaro said,
“She was in and out of consciousness yesterday, today she’s awake but she’s not talking, she’s nonverbal, she can say like one word,” Coffaro said on Tuesday.
Police said Irene’s 2006 Nissan Altima was stolen after the attack, but has since been recovered.
“I almost cried, it’s devastating. I’m part of a civilian patrol and it’s scary, people don’t even fear real cops. He’s an animal, deserves to be locked up, full book thrown at him,” Coffaro said.
Kalogridis had words for the attacker, according to WNBC.
“My message is for him to surrender to the police and repent for this grievous sin he made,” he said. “Repentance and surrender and do it as soon as possible.”
