79-year-old man hospitalized after being severely beaten in robbery at Brooklyn jewelry store
NEW YORK -- A 79-year-old man is clinging to his life after police say two men walked into his Brooklyn jewelry store and nearly beat him to death during a robbery.
Manny Cohen has owned Roxy Jewelry Store on Flatbush Avenue for 25 years.
"Staple of the community. He loves the people there, the people love him," said son Shawn Cohen.
Now, the father and grandfather is in the ICU, drifting in and out of consciousness, after police say Friday evening, two men robbed him of more than $100,000 worth of jewelry.
Shawn says they beat him within an inch of his life.
"They thought he was dead, and they tried to hide his body on the sub floor of the store," he said.
He knew something was wrong when his dad didn't call after work like usual or show up to Friday night dinner. That's when he checked the store surveillance camera from home and saw video of two men taking jewelry from his father's store.
Surveillance video from inside the store captured his screams.
"You watch something happening on the video, and you're far away and there's nothing you can do, and you could hear the scream of your father screaming for his life," Shawn said.
He immediately called police, who arrived within minutes. Shawn says officers found his father in a hole in the floor, and emergency responders rushed him to the hospital. The past few days were spent in agony.
"We put our faith in Almighty and the doctors and the nurses at the hospital," Shawn said.
Police released photos of the suspects, and the Cohen family hopes someone somewhere knows who they are.
"We have a basic right to live in safety," Shawn said. "They're walking among the public, and they will do this again to another person's father, another person's husband or grandfather."
A heartfelt plea in the hopes this doesn't happen to another loved one.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.