Man Wanted In Upper East Side Robbery
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A robber punched a woman in the face in the entrance of her own home, and it was all caught on camera.
Late Sunday, police were asking for help to catch the man responsible for the violent assault.
As CBS2's Dave Carlin reported, neighbors said the 54-year-old victim recently moved in to the building on East 67th Street where the attack happened, and she was in the entryway getting her keys out of her bag when she was attacked.
Surveillance video showed a raging suspect with his face angry, and it took only seconds for him to turn mercilessly violent.
Police said it was 11 p.m. Friday when he followed the woman into the vestibule. He demanded the victim's purse and then waited no time at all before clenching his fist.
The man punched the woman full force in the face, took her bag and ran away.
"That's horrible," said Rob Gervase of the Upper East Side. "That's very surprising and really bad."
The video does not show the woman hit the ground - seriously injured. Neighbors heard her screams and came running.
Anthony Bennetti said his friend bolted down the stairs to help.
"He heard noises -- unusual noises for, you know, this area, and ran down and kind of saved the day," Bennetti said. "Definitely scared off the guy."
The victim went to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center with her face severely bruised and a gash near her eye that neighbors said required stitches.
Neighbors said the block, dotted with upscale stores and luxury residences, might give some people a sense of safety. But crimes of opportunity happen almost anywhere.
"Because the park is right there, and of course the subway is right over there, so it's very easy for people to travel from one section to the next," one woman said.
"I feel that you always have to have your guard up anywhere in the city," said Giovanna Patafio. "It happens a lot."
A woman named Barbara lives in the area and told 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria she saw the video.
"It is frightening that it's happening in this neighborhood, but it's happening all over New York City, so Friday night, my husband and I were walking around the same neighborhood," she said.
Police describe the suspect as a black male of dark complexion, approximately 40 to 45 years of age, roughly 5 feet 4 inches tall, last seen wearing a black hat, black coat, and black pants.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), log onto the Crime Stoppers website, or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and enter TIP577.
As for the building's security, of the two entry doors, only one locks. Some residents said it is now time to lock both.
