‘I thought I was going to die’: Woman mugged at Manhattan ATM chose not to go to hospital over fears of coronavirus

A Manhattan mugging victim, after barely surviving a brutal ATM beating, wasn’t willing to risk her life again.
The 59-year-old woman refused a trip to the hospital after a Mar. 28 attack that left her battered and bruised, over fears she would contract coronavirus.
“I was scared about going to the hospital because of all that’s going on, with the coronavirus,” she told the Daily News. “I wanted to go, but I was scared at the same time."
Luisa, who asked to be identified only by her first name, was withdrawing money at a Citibank ATM on Park Avenue South around 5:15 p.m. while heading to an Indian restaurant to pick up dinner.
Luisa, who asked to be identified only by her first name, was withdrawing money at a Citibank ATM on Park Avenue South around 5:15 p.m. while heading to an Indian restaurant to pick up dinner.(ShutterStock)
Luisa, who asked to be identified only by her first name, was withdrawing money at a Citibank ATM on Park Avenue South around 5:15 p.m. while heading to an Indian restaurant to pick up dinner.
She and her 75-year-old husband moved into the neighborhood three decades ago, and was never a victim of any crime across the years — until this brisk spring evening.
Luisa, 59, was punched and choked during a mugging at an ATM in Manhattan.
Luisa, 59, was punched and choked during a mugging at an ATM in Manhattan.(Obtained by the Daily News)
She took the cash, then placed the money and her wallet back into a purse slung over her shoulder. As she turned to walk away, her assailant seemed to rise up from the sidewalk outside. He demanded the purse, and motioned to a bulge in his jacket — as though he was carrying a weapon.
Then he started punching her. One hard blow to the head knocked her to the floor, where the assault continued. He wrapped his hands around her neck.
“He was kicking me, he was choking me,” she recounted. “I said, ‘Stop it, stop it, there’s a camera!’ but he wouldn’t stop. I thought I was going to die."
She wasn’t sure how long the attack lasted, or how long she spent lying on the floor after the mugger bolted with her purse. Luisa, like many people, kept much of her life in the bag: Her credit cards, her ID, her iPhone, and more than $200 in cash.
This is one of several bruises she said she developed as a result of the attack.
This is one of several bruises she said she developed as a result of the attack.(Obtained by the Daily News)
But she soon limped outside looking for help, and asked two guys on the street to call the police.
The officers arrived shortly after, and she said they rode around for some time looking to see if she could spot the suspect, but she did not.
The cops asked if she wanted to go to the hospital, but Luisa declined, saying she “was really scared” about exposure to the potentially deadly virus that’s kept the city under lockdown.
Instead, she went home to recover with her husband of nearly 38 years.
Luisa had bruises and swelling on the side of her head following the assault, she told the Daily News.
Luisa had bruises and swelling on the side of her head following the assault, she told the Daily News.(Obtained by the Daily News)
Luisa developed bruises on both sides of her head, she told The News. Her wrist was swollen, and there was a bruise just beneath her collar bone. Her leg also ached for a few days.
Her husband insisted she go to a doctor for an X-ray, just to be safe, and they made an appointment. But they canceled it when she felt better a few days later, still concerned about exposing herself to coronavirus.

“I’m very scared to go out now,” Luisa said. “I’m feeling scared, I’m very angry. Now my husband is saying, ‘Let’s move to Florida.’"

Luisa is the second victim to be robbed at the same Citibank ATM in a week.

Police released surveillance video on Thursday of a 75-year-old man who was assaulted in a similar fashion on Mar. 21 around 9:45 a.m. — though police do not believe the two crimes were committed by the same suspect.

Cops released video of Luisa’s attacker on Wednesday. No arrests have been made in either case.

Despite the double dose of crime, NYPD statistics showed a 36% drop in robberies and a 33% decline in felony assaults as of Apr. 5, compared to the same period last year.

3 comments:

  1. Fk catching the virus. The ER bill could kill her.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Why do you use an ATM if you have a bank card? Pay with your card instead and avoid the ATM's!!!! duh

    ReplyDelete
  3. Even in todays age of technology, some places only take cash. Duh!!!

    ReplyDelete

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