16-year-old boy arrested for allegedly pushing woman down NYC church stairs, robbing her
NEW YORK -- Police have arrested a teenage boy who is accused of pushing a woman down the stairs outside a Queens church.
It happened Sunday morning outside Saint Demetrios Church on 152nd Street in Jamaica.
Video shows the 68-year-old woman walking up the stairs to the church's entrance when the suspect runs up the stairs in front of her. Police say he then punched her in the face, causing her to fall backwards down the stairs onto the sidewalk.
Video shows the suspect grab the woman's bag and apparently check her pockets before running off. Police say the woman had $300, a cell phone, credit card and car keys in her bag.
According to police, he fled the scene in the victim's 2006 Nissan Altima.
Police say a 16-year-old boy was arrested Thursday night and charged with robbery, assault, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. His name is not being released at this time because he is a juvenile. He has three prior arrests, including two for robbery in August and September of last year, and one for criminal possession of stolen property.
The victim was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. She was released from the ICU, her family said.