2 Elderly Women Attacked in New York Apartment Buildings in Separate Incidents, Police Say

Police in New York are asking for the public's assistance in identifying a man who they said attacked two elderly women in the lobbies of their Queens apartment buildings. 

A 78-year-old woman was choked and menaced in the lobby of her Forest Hills building, at Queens Blvd. and 67th Drive, at 7:30 p.m, on Sunday, according to the NYPD.

The assailant then fled on foot with several packages that had been lying in the lobby of the building, cops said. The victim suffered pain and bruising, but refused medical attention at the scene.

A similar assault took place on July 28 when an unidentified man approached a 72-year-old woman retrieving her mail in the lobby of her building at 12:30 p.m. in the Rego Park section at 64th Ave. and 98th St.

According to officials, the male came up to the victim, choked her and demanded her property. He forcibly removed jewelry and cash with a total estimated value of $500 before fleeing the scene. EMS responded and transported the victim to Forest Hills hospital, where she was in stable condition.

The latest incident is part of an on-going investigation. Yesterday, detectives submitted an additional video of the same individual wanted for questioning in connection with both attacks.

Anyone with information can call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @ NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.

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