Cops search for two men who ‘slapped an 89-year-old woman in the face and set her shirt on fire’

Cops search for two men who ‘slapped an 89-year-old woman in the face and set her shirt on fire’ in Brooklyn

  •  An 89-year-old woman was slapped in the face and her shirt set on fire by two unidentified men in New York City
  • The victim she didn’t know the suspects and they didn’t speak to her during the incident on July 14
  • She was not seriously injured in the attack
  • Community members have offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who has information leading to the arrest of the suspects
  • The NYPD released surveillance footage of the two suspects  

The New York Police Department are searching for two men who slapped an 89-year-old woman in the face before lighting her shirt on fire this month.

The disturbing incident happened on July 14 when an elderly Chinese resident was outside her home in Brooklyn.

Authorities said the two suspects approached the woman and, without warning, struck her across the face. 

Then, they allegedly set the back of her shirt on fire with a match or a lighter before they fled the scene.

Surveillance footage released by the NYPD shows two men, both wearing hats and  masks that shield their face, walking near 16th Avenue & 77 Street in Brooklyn. 

The NYPD released surveillance footage of two suspects they said assaulted an elderly woman in Brooklyn earlier this month 

The unidentified woman revealed in an interview with ABC 7 this week that she had just left her home in the Bensonhurst neighborhood when it happened.

Speaking through a Cantonese translator, the victim said the one of the men slapped her in the face and then seconds later she felt a sharp pain on her back.

One she realized that her shirt was on fire, the victim pulled up her hair so it would’t burn and rubbed her back against a nearby wall.

A large scorch mark left on her shirt  shows just how large the flame got before it was extinguished.

Pictured; the victim's shirt marred with a scorch mark after two men reportedly attacked her in Brooklyn and lit her shirt on fire

Pictured; the victim’s shirt marred with a scorch mark after two men reportedly attacked her in Brooklyn and lit her shirt on fire 

The victim (left), speaking through a Cantonese translator, said she did not know either man before the incident happened

The victim (left), speaking through a Cantonese translator, said she did not know either man before the incident happened

The victim said she’s never seen the men before and they didn’t speak a word. 

She didn’t tell her family what happened to her until the next morning because she did not want her children to worry.  

The suspects did not try to steal any of her items, prompting some to believe it was a hate crime.

‘These two individual persons picked on an Asian senior to commit this heinous crime. There’s no other reason than for it to be a hate crime,’ the translator told ABC 7. 

Authorities said there’s currently no evidence that she was specifically targeted and the suspects reportedly did not use any derogatory language. 

Maria Castellano, a neighbor who witnessed the incident, told WLNY that there didn’t appear to be any interaction before the attack.

Surveillance footage showed the victim (pictured) walking back to her home after the attack with her shirt burnt

Surveillance footage showed the victim (pictured) walking back to her home after the attack with her shirt burnt 

‘I just saw these two kids push her for nothing. She was looking in the garden,’ said Castellano.

‘No reason at all. I mean, she didn’t do nothing. Why are you pushing the poor woman?’ 

Board members from the local Brooklyn community center and residents have created a $10,000 reward for any information about the incident that could lead to an arrest.   

Authorities urged the community to report information about the incident and to contact NYPD Tips at 800-577-TIPS

People can reach the NYPD Crime Stopper hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782)

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk