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NEW YORK - New York's streets and newspapers were flooded today with pictures of a mugger who has attacked at least two elderly women in the borough of Queens, including one who is 101 years old.
The other woman was an 85-year-old who uses a walker. Both were recovering from the violent robberies, which occurred a week ago in different apartment buildings but only reported over the weekend.
Rose Morat, 101, told the New York Post she wished she could have fought back: "Fifteen years ago, we would have had a tussle."
Both women were robbed of less than US$35, ($52) and Morat suffered a fractured cheekbone during the attack which was captured by cameras. The other was robbed of two rings including her wedding ring.
Police distributed pictures of a suspect, a black male, taken from surveillance video.
"We are pulling out all the stops to find him," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. A police fraternal organisation offered a US$1000 reward on Sunday, and callers have made some 1000 calls to tip lines, some of which provided leads, Kelly said.
Surveillance video from one of the muggings in a Queens apartment building captured part of one attack and has been posted on several local media websites and shown to all Queens police officers and many in Brooklyn in recent days, police said.
- REUTERS
