Woman wanted for punching 70-year-old as she prayed in Manhattan church
UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police in Manhattan are on the lookout for a woman they say assaulted a 70-year-woman inside a church on Tuesday.
Authorities say the suspect walked into St. Monica's Church on East 79th Street on the Upper East Side just before 10 a.m. and yelled "Shut up" at the victim.
The suspect then punched the woman in the face with a closed fist before fleeing the scene.
Police say the victim was praying and had music playing on her phone.
She was treated at a local hospital and released. She did not want to be identified.
Police say the suspect is possibly known as "Annie" and frequents the area. She's believed to be in her 50s.
Eyewitness News spoke with a parishioner who said she know the suspect.
"She's a little unstable, and I've never heard of her doing anything," Paula Schillo said. "Sometimes she'll blurt out words, but she's never done anything. I'm sorry to hear that."
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.
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