Surveillance Footage From MTA Bus Shows Wild Moment Brazen Thief Assaults and Robs a Man in a Wheelchair

New York City police are searching for a brazen thief who attacked an elderly man in a wheelchair earlier this month and robbed him of $250.

The New York Police Department on Sunday released surveillance footage from a mostly empty MTA bus driving through Staten Island on August 13 at 9pm, when the attack occurred.

The #NYPD is trying to find a man who they say stole money from a man in a wheelchair. It happened on an MTA bus in Staten Island just after 9 p.m. pic.twitter.com/MyR4H5mRdq

— Inside Edition (@InsideEdition) August 30, 2022

It shows a man wearing a black TLC T-shirt, black basketball shorts, socks and sandals standing directly behind the 64-year-old victim before he reaches into the man’s shirt pocket and sends dollar bills flying.

The crook then tries to scoop up as much cash as he could when the bus stopped at the intersection of Clinton Avenue and Richmond Terrace, prompting the elderly man to get up briefly and grab the thief’s arm.

But the thief then ran off the bus, and fled in an unknown direction, making off with $250. Fortunately, police say, the victim was not injured in the altercation.

Police have described the victim as being in his 20s, 5-foot-7-inches and around 160 pounds. They have also released surveillance footage of the thief at a convenience store on Richmond Terrace, which clearly shows his face.

Authorities are now asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS, or submit tips online at www.crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

The brazen attack on an elderly disabled man comes in the wake of ruthless teenagers terrorizing their elderly neighbors in a Bronx apartment by beating, robbing and bruising them.

Residents of 1294 and 1295 East 169th Street in Morrisania neighborhood have said they are afraid to leave their building at night over fears the teens will harm them once again.

In one of the attacks, the teens reportedly broke off a stick from a nearby pole and used it to beat residents, including Miriam Cintron, 67, who said she ‘has not slept’ since.

‘They came at us, they beat us,’ Cintron exclusively told ABC 7 New York. ‘They broke the stick from the tree to beat us with the wood.’

Another resident, Nydia Carrero, 63, said the teens ‘kicked’ and ‘punched’ her, adding they have been coming back every night.

‘They were kicking me in my side, kicking me on this side, punching me in the back, trying to get my face,’ she told ABC 7.

Carrero told the outlet the youngsters want to ‘hang out in the hallways, smoke pot, and mess up the building.’

Another resident, Victor Gonzalez, said the teens have threatened to ‘burn the building down.’

‘It’s a shame…it’s ridiculous,’ he told ABC 7.

For many of the residents, the 169th Street residence has been their home for decades and now it is being pilfered from bratty teens.

Progressive Management, who manages the building, said ‘any threats’ to its residents were ‘unacceptable.’

‘Our priority will continue to be ensuring our tenants’ safety in their homes,’ it said in a statement.

It has reportedly ‘increased the presence of security on-site, are actively working with NYPD to prevent any criminal trespass that endangers residents or guests, and have requested additional police patrols of the immediate vicinity.’

But crime in the Big Apple has only been getting worse over the past year as lawless criminals continue to run the streets.

Robberies throughout NYC are up 39.5 percent compared to the same time last year, with overall crime up nearly 36 percent.

The only violent crime that is down in the city, as a whole, is murder, with only 265 deaths compared to the 304 of last year.

Rape and assaults are also up at eight and 19 percent, respectively.