An 81-year-old woman is recovering after a Thursday morning assault near 86-07 35 Avenue in Jackson Heights, where she was punched in the face and suffered a minor laceration. The attacker ran off on foot, and while her injuries are not considered life threatening, investigators say the case remains under active review as they search the area for witnesses and video.
🚨WANTED FOR AN ASSAULT: On Thursday, July 16, 2026, at approximately 7:45 A.M., an 81-year-old female victim was standing in the vicinity of 86-07 35 Avenue, in the confines of the 115 Precinct, when she was approached by an unidentified individual who engaged her in a verbal… pic.twitter.com/Dp1eVo0wIK
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) July 19, 2026
According to NYPD Crime Stoppers, the assault happened at about 7:45 a.m. Thursday and left the victim with pain and a small cut to her face. The person of interest took off on foot, and the post urges anyone who saw what happened or has surveillance footage to contact investigators.
How to tip police
The NYPD Crime Stoppers program offers rewards of up to $3,500 for anonymous information that leads to an arrest and indictment, and it accepts tips online or by phone, according to the NYPD Crime Stoppers program. Tips may be submitted at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by calling 1-800-577-TIPS (8477); Spanish speakers can call 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Context: a pattern of brief wanteds
The department has leaned on short "WANTED FOR AN ASSAULT" bulletins in recent weeks to crowdsource leads across the city. A recent example was a bottle attack outside Municipal Building that prompted a citywide search. Those one-off bulletins are often used when detectives hope to generate fresh tips from people who may have captured video or images of an incident.
The 115th Precinct, which covers Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst and North Corona, is handling the investigation, according to the NYPD 115th Precinct. Detectives asked anyone with video, photos or eyewitness information to contact Crime Stoppers or their local precinct so investigators can follow up.
