Woman, 90, Speaks After Being Robbed In Bronx Home
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A 90-year-old woman came face-to-face with a burglar inside her home this past weekend.
As CBS2's Emily Smith reported, Frances Tomanelli has lived in the Belmont section of the Bronx for 63 years, and has never locked her second-floor apartment door. She has always felt safe in the apartment complex, which has an exterior locked gate.
But on Sunday, coming home from church, she was face-to-face with a robber inside her apartment.
Still shaken over what happened, Tomanelli declined to show her face as she spoke to CBS2's Smith.
"So I was going into the living room He was standing right there and I was in shock," she said. "I And I says, 'What are you doing here?' He says: 'Give me your money! Give me your money!'"
Tomanelli handed the suspect a small amount of cash. Afterward, the suspect grabbed something with sentimental value - the crucifix off her neck and her wedding bands from 50 years of marriage. Tomanelli has been a widow 13 years.
Despite the heartbreak of losing those items, Tomanelli was relieved she wasn't hurt.
"I was so happy that he didn't touch me or molest me or anything," she said. "You know, that was all I cared about."
Tomanelli said the suspect also asked her to hand over several rings on her fingers, but she told him not to bother because she cannot get them off and they are not valuable in any way.
Tomanelli is not sure if the man targeted her or had been following her, but she is not willing to let it stop her from living.
But she will start locking her door.
Tomanelli also has a 93-year-old sister who lives next door in the Bronx building. She was not home at the time of the incident and was not robbed.
The suspect was described as a Hispanic male in his 20s. A more detailed description was not available.