Watch CBS News

'She Was Speaking Just Gibberish:' Family Speaks Out After Woman Shoves 2-Year-Old Girl To Ground In The Bronx

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Shocking video shows a woman push a toddler to the ground in the Bronx.

The little girl's mom says it happened out of nowhere Tuesday morning.

CBS2's Lisa Rozner caught up with the family as the pressure is on for police to find the suspect.

Weeks away from turning 2 years old, Scarlett Garcia is a ray of sunshine. It's hard to believe Tuesday morning, just before 9 o'clock, she was the victim of an assault.

Video shows her mom hold the door for her as they leave a deli on Valentine Avenue and East 198th Street in the Bronx.

All of a sudden, a woman shoves little Scarlett and skips away.

Watch the surveillance footage --

"The second that we came outside was the second she got pushed. Like, as if she was a grown woman," Scarlett's mother, Sahara Bernard, said. "She caught herself before she could even hit her head, so it's like on her cheek right here, you could see that she has a little mark on it, but not really so much, thank God."

"And did the woman say anything?" Rozner asked.

"No, she was speaking just gibberish," Bernard said.

People in the area told CBS2 they recognize the suspect and that she's known to ask people for money, but they have never seen her be violent.

2255-21 Assault 52 Pct 08-24-21 -- Photo
Police are trying to find a woman accused of shoving a young child to the ground in the Bronx on Aug. 24, 2021. (Credit: NYPD Crime Stoppers)

"It's just crazy for a woman to do that to a young kid. That doesn't make no sense," Fordham Manor resident Jessica Beavers said.

"They gotta catch that crazy lady, man," Fordham Manor resident Hernando Ventura said.

The suspect was wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts and red sneakers.

"As a parent, I don't wish this upon no one, honestly," Bernard said.

Scarlett's parents say the whole neighborhood's got their back, and Scarlett is even known as the "Block Princess."

"She's just a happy playful girl," said Scarlett's stepdad, Jesse.

As for the incident, amazing, Bernard says Scarlett only cried for a minute and then was back to being her happy self.

Anyone who has information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or for Spanish, 1-888-577-4782. Tips can also be sent to the NYPDTips Twitter account or submitted online at NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.