New York, April 11, 2024
A young man physically attacks an elderly woman at a Greek Orthodox Church in Queens. Photo: Fox 5 New York screenshot
Police are looking for a suspect who physically assaulted an elderly woman at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in the Briarwood section of Queens on Sunday.
Surveillance shows a 68-year-old parishioner heading up the church steps, when a man runs up from behind her and punches her in the face, which sends her falling backwards down the stairs, reports Fox 5 New York.
The suspect then rummaged through her belongings before taking off with her purse, which had $300, her cellphone, and her car keys in it.
The suspect, believed to be between 18 and 25, around 5’8’’, then sped off in the woman’s car.
The woman is in critical but stable condition, with a fractured skull. According to parish priest Fr. Konstantinos Kalogridos, she is conscious and alert and was able to receive Holy Communion in the hospital.
“To do this horrendous act … from the church’s steps—that’s unheard of,” Fr. Konstantinos commented.
“Sometimes it’s not easy [to forgive], but with God’s help, it can be done,” he added.
Watch Fox 5’s report on the incident:
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