Video shows man stalking elderly Harlem woman before attack
HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- The NYPD is looking for a man seen on surveillance video stalking an elderly Harlem woman before allegedly knocking her to the ground and robbing her of a cell phone and $10 cash.
The mugging was reported Wednesday, January 31st around 10:30 a.m. in the vicinity of W. 116th and St. Nicholas Avenue.
Video shows a man in a black hooded puffer coat following 83-year-old Miriam Castillo into her high-rise building, then into the elevator, then down her hallway. He covers his face the entire time.
Castillo says she did not notice the man hovering near her as she got her mail, or when she stepped into the elevator.
The victim's purse was recovered in a stairway, but her phone and wallet were missing. She suffered bruises to her face, police said.
Despite the incident, Castillo got up the next morning and went to church. She told abc7NY she's not angry at the man who mugged her.
"I want him to repent and for God to forgive him, and to forgive me if I am at fault. I had a brain hemmorage, cancer, and I'm still fighting, and a small hit in the head is nothing," Castillo said.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
----------
