NYCHA impersonator burns man with hot knife in Manhattan robbery
LOWER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police are looking for the armed robbery suspect who attacked a 73-year-old man while posing as a NYCHA worker, and making the matter even more heartbreaking, the victim in the case is a double amputee bound to his wheelchair.
Authorities say the suspect knocked on the victim's door Wednesday afternoon, claiming to be a worker at the Vladeck Houses on the Lower East Side.
He then forced his way into the victim's fifth floor apartment along Madison Street after the elderly man opened the door. Police say he pulled out a gun and demanded money, before burning the victim on his knees using a hot knife.
He then told the man to stay in the bathroom for 20 minutes and fled with $300.
The victim had previously had both of his feet amputated, and his home health aide was with him at the time of the attack.
Residents said the victim remained in the hospital, where he was taken in stable condition.
The person wanted for questioning is described as a black man, approximately 30 years old, 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black skullcap, a North Face two-tone coat with stars, blue jeans, and black sneakers.
Anyone with information in regard to the identity of this male is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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