A pair of robbers pretending to be Fed Ex workers targeted an elderly woman inside her New York City home Monday, only to be chased right back out by the victim, police and family members said.
Two men dressed in Fed Ex uniforms went to the Howard Beach home of 75-year-old Margaret Mazzio Monday afternoon with a cardboard box, according to Mazzio's daughter-in-law Robyn Mazzio. One of them entered her home, and when she asked where she could sign the form, he said nothing and lunged for her.
"The guy comes walking into the house and she says, 'Can you just drop the box?' And he wouldn't let the door open," said Robyn Mazzio.
Margaret Mazzio went after that man with a house phone and hit him in the face, according to Robyn. That forced the suspects to run from the home and disappear down the block without taking anything from the home.
"She's OK," said Robyn Mazzio. "Her hand hurts a little bit from swinging at him."
Residents said the neighborhood has played host to several unfamiliar faces after Hurricane Sandy. Last week, residents reported seeing two strange men walking up and down on the street.
"After we had the hurricane, we don't know who's on the block," said a neighbor. "Everybody's having work done. People come in, give you estimates. They look around, they see what you have, and you know, they take advantage of people."
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Police were going door to door asking residents what they saw and reminding them to keep their doors locked.
