Exclusive: 82-year-old woman in Bronx mugging speaks out

CLAREMONT, Bronx (WABC) -- Police are looking for a suspect who robbed and assaulted an elderly woman in the Bronx earlier this month, and they're hoping surveillance will lead to an arrest.

The incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on June 9 near Clay Avenue and East 170th Street in the Claremont section, and now, the 82-year-old victim is speaking exclusively to Eyewitness News.

She was so terrified that she hid behind her door as she told us about what happened right in front of her building. We are not showing her address or using her name.

"I was fishing to find my keys to open the downstairs door, and someone came up behind me and started pulling at my jacket," she said. "I thought I knew him. And when I turned around, I didn't know him at all, and he threw me on the ground."

The suspect never said a word, and he ran off with the victim's purse.

"He was able to get into my jacket pocket and take my purse, and he ran off," she said.

Inside was just $37.

Charee Thorpes lives in the same building, and when she heard the screamed, she lifted her window to see what was going on. She described a despicable sight.

"I heard the screaming, 'help, help, help,'" she said. "I seen her on the ground, and he was hovering over her to pull the wallet out of her pocket. He could have hurt her, he could have did anything, so I'm glad that I was attentive and in the window to lift it and scared him away.

She believes that is what prompted the suspect to flee. He is described as being about 5-foot-7 and was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and white sneakers.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).