91-year-old New Yorker recovering in hospital after fighting man who tried to steal his wallet
NEW YORK -- The NYPD is searching for the person who severely injured a 91-year-old man while trying to rob him on the Upper East Side last week.
"I wasn't as easy a mark as he thought I would be because I was physically fighting him back," Hyman Silverglad said.
Silverglad spoke to CBS New York's Alecia Reid over the phone from his hospital bed at Mt. Sinai Morningside's trauma unit.
"Six broken ribs, incredibly painful. Hematoma of the liver, and maybe a slight fracture on his spine. But that might have been there already," said James Silverglad, the victim's son.
Watch Alecia Reid's report
The 91-year-old was walking home after running errands in his neighborhood on Feb. 1 when a man attacked him and tried to steal his wallet.
"I see a shadow ... right near me, and then someone jumps on me and tries to rip my wallet," Hyman Silverglad said. "He grabs my shoulders and throws me to the sidewalk, and I hit my back."
Adrenaline kicked in and Hyman Silverglad fought back against the attacker, a man nearly twice his size. Surveillance cameras captured images of the suspect on 86th Street near Second Avenue, last seen wearing a black coat and gray hat.
"He's not going to stop at my father. There are a lot of elderly New Yorkers. I'd like to get him off the street," James Silverglad said.
As his health team works around the clock to keep his pain level down, the senior citizen has a myriad of health issues he was already dealing with.
"Fourth stage prostate cancer, skin cancer, colorectal cancer and chronic kidney failure," Hyman Silverglad said. "You know, now I'm so sorry I just didn't give the guy my wallet."
Hyman Silverglad says he'll be moved to rehab facility in the next day or two. Recovery is expected to take several months.
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.
