Police are looking for a man they say attacked and robbed an 84-year-old in the lobby of his apartment building -- which sits next door to an NYPD precinct -- for a mere $25.
Gilberto Mena had just gotten home from church when he was knocked to the ground by a man inside his Bronx building around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to the NYPD.
"He grabbed me by the neck, dropped me on the floor and said, 'Give me your money,'" Mena recounted.
Police say the suspect then demanded money and took the elderly man’s wallet from his jacket pocket.
The suspect left the building and headed east on Southern Boulevard with the victim’s lottery tickets and $25 in cash.
Police didn’t take long to arrive to the scene, since the precinct is next door.
"You’ve got to be dumb to run into a building next to a precinct," said neighbor Rolando Rivera. "You’re going to get busted."
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Mena said he was grateful his lucky numbers didn’t hit, he didn't have more cash on him and -- most importantly -- that he wasn’t seriously injured.
"I lost $25, but my life cost more than $25" he said. "I got my God up there. He saved my life."
Surveillance video release by police Monday shows the suspect in a gray jacket, gray hooded sweater and gray pants.
Anyone with information about the suspect should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
