A quiet Thursday afternoon in Prospect Lefferts Gardens turned violent when a 98-year-old man was assaulted inside his residential building, leaving neighbors rattled. Investigators say a woman repeatedly punched and kicked the man, then struck him with a broomstick and a metal chair before running off. Despite his age, police say the victim suffered only minor injuries and was treated at the scene. Detectives are now working to identify the woman seen on surveillance footage.
Investigators say the attack happened around 4 p.m. Thursday inside a building near Maple Street and Rogers Avenue, and that security video shows the woman appearing to drop off flyers just before the confrontation. Video released by authorities reportedly shows her running east on Maple Street immediately after the assault, and police are asking the public to help identify her. As reported by News12 Brooklyn, no arrests have been announced.
Anyone who recognizes the woman in the video is asked to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS, submit an anonymous tip online, or use the Crime Stoppers mobile app. The NYPD program accepts tips by phone, web, and app and may offer rewards for information that leads to an arrest and indictment, as outlined by NYPD Crime Stoppers. Tips are handled anonymously, and the department is urging anyone with door-camera footage to share it with investigators.
The assault is the latest in what investigators describe as a troubling stretch of attacks involving older Brooklyn residents, including a 72-year-old man punched in Brownsville last week and an 83-year-old woman who was reportedly slashed while walking to church days later. Community members have renewed calls for better lighting, tighter building security, and for neighbors to check door-camera footage for anything that could help police. As reported by News12 Brooklyn, investigators are continuing to review video and seek tips from the public.
What investigators released
Police released a short clip that they say shows the sequence inside the building: the suspect dropping off flyers, the confrontation in a hallway, and the woman later walking away on Maple Street. The footage, according to officials, shows her punching and kicking the 98-year-old man, then hitting him with a broomstick and a metal chair. Detectives again urged residents near Maple Street and Rogers Avenue to review their door-camera footage and share any recordings that might help identify the suspect.
