A 76-year-old man was punched and kicked repeatedly in broad daylight on the northwest corner of Midwood Street and Nostrand Avenue this past Saturday, after his car struck a parked, unoccupied motorized scooter, according to police. The attacker then hopped on that same scooter and sped off westbound on Midwood Street, leaving the victim behind.
According to NYPD Crime Stoppers, the confrontation began around 5 p.m. Saturday as a verbal dispute after the minor collision, then escalated into a physical assault, with the unidentified individual striking the victim multiple times throughout the body. Police have not released the victim's current condition, and it remains unclear whether he required hospitalization.
🚨 WANTED FOR ELDERLY ASSAULT: On Saturday, August 15, 2026, at approximately 5:00 P.M., a 76-year-old male victim was involved in a minor motor vehicle collision with a parked and unoccupied motorized scooter on the northwest corner of Midwood Street and Nostrand Avenue. An… pic.twitter.com/VHymLs2xDt
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) August 16, 2026
The location sits within the 71st Precinct, which is headquartered at 421 Empire Boulevard and covers Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Crown Heights South, and Wingate, according to the NYPD. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $3,500 for information leading to an arrest and indictment, and says all calls are kept strictly confidential.
A Fender-Bender With a Scooter That Shouldn't Have Been There
Under New York City Department of Transportation rules, unattended motorized scooters left on public sidewalks are supposed to remain upright and stay clear of pedestrian walkways, building entrances, and curb ramps. Riding the devices on sidewalks is separately barred, and state law caps their legal speed at 15 miles per hour on streets and in bike lanes, per the NYC Department of Transportation. It is not known from available reporting whether the scooter involved was privately owned or part of a registered micromobility fleet.
Separately, city rules under Administrative Code § 19-176.2 impose a $500 civil penalty for operating unauthorized or unregistered motorized scooters on public streets or sidewalks, and allow law enforcement to impound the vehicles, according to CityLand. Whether any commercial surveillance cameras near the intersection captured the collision or the assault that followed is also an open question.
Elevated Charges Possible Given the Victim's Age
If the suspect is caught, the age gap between him and his alleged victim could carry significant legal weight. Under New York Penal Law § 120.05(12), intentionally causing physical injury to a person 65 or older by an attacker more than 10 years younger constitutes second-degree assault, a Class D felony punishable by up to seven years in state prison, according to FindLaw.
Part of a Troubling Pattern Along Nostrand Avenue
The attack adds to a string of violent incidents targeting older residents along the Nostrand Avenue corridor this year. Hoodline reported in a July report on a subway shove-and-robbery that NYPD Crime Stoppers had issued a public appeal after a 79-year-old man was shoved and robbed near Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush. In February, Hoodline also reported that a 26-year-old man was stabbed in the neck near Nostrand Avenue, prompting an extensive 71st Precinct canvass for surveillance footage.
Local crime data shows some improvement in the precinct overall: NYPD CompStat reports for the 71st Precinct recorded 29 felony assaults during an early 2024 tracking period, a 31% decline from the 42 felony assaults logged over the same stretch in 2023, per the Brooklyn Paper. Even so, unprovoked attacks on elderly residents have remained a recurring concern for Crime Stoppers, which has repeatedly offered cash rewards in similar cases this year.
Community members have also flagged quality-of-life concerns specific to this stretch of Midwood Street. Minutes from a September 2023 Brooklyn Community Board 9 public safety meeting recorded resident complaints about loitering and street conditions along the Midwood Street corridor near Bedford and Nostrand Avenues. The same community board has separately pressed the city for capital maintenance work on Midwood Street to address longstanding flooding and icy roadway conditions during winter months.
How to Submit a Tip
NYPD Crime Stoppers is asking anyone with information to call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or to submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org. Spanish-language tips can be submitted by calling 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), and tips can also be sent via the Crime Stoppers X account, @NYPDTips.
