A hooded, masked male was caught on video shoving a 68-year-old woman backward down the outdoor steps of a church as she was heading to Sunday Mass, in Queens, New York — then he stole her purse and car after she landed on her head on the sidewalk.
Surveillance video shows the victim just feet from the front door of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in the Briarwood section, WNBC-TV reported. The suspect is seen on video following the victim up the other side of the steps before meeting her on the top step then shoving her backward.
The victim landed on her head, the station said.
With that, the suspect rifled through her pockets, stole her purse, ran off, and then stole her car — a 2006 Nissan Altima, WNBC reported.
"Horrible. I could not believe my eyes. Seeing what he did to this lady," Rev. Konstantinos Kalogridis of St. Demetrios told the station. "She was coming to church to pray, to participate. I don’t know what kind of a person this is but evil. Pure evil.”
WNBC said parishioners helped the woman, and she was soon taken to a hospital.
Kalogridis — who visited the victim Sunday — told the station it's a miracle she survived the attack.
"She is in stable condition," he noted to WNBC. He added that she's "such a sweet lady. She is a very humble, low-key person.”
Man attacks 68-year-old outside Queens church, robs her while she lays on the ground | NBC New York youtu.be
Police are still searching for the suspect, the station said, adding that detectives have been looking for evidence in the area of 152nd Street and 84th Road.
Kalogridis has a simple message for the attacker, WNBC said: “My message is for him to surrender to the police and repent for this grievous sin he made. Repentance and surrender — and do it as soon as possible.”
Here's another news video about the attack:
Woman punched, shoved down NYC church stairs in brazen robbery youtu.be
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