Barije Mati was relaxing in a lawn chair last Saturday, August 30th, in front of the apartment building she's lived in for 40 years. A man in his 20s walked up to the 89-year-old woman, started talking to her, and then grabbed her leg. She yelled at him and she tried to go into her building, but he pushed her, and then he dragged her into her building and into her apartment.
There he laid on top of her on the floor and attempted to strangle her with his sweatshirt. Her daughter-in-law heard her screams from the next apartment, went in, and beat the man with a broom handle.
The building is at 640 E. 2nd Street, south of Ditmas Avenue. The attack happened this past Saturday, August 30th, at about 3:45 p.m. Ms. Mati was treated at Maimonides Hospital for minor cuts and bruises and was released two days ago on Monday.
The attacker is described as Hispanic, 5'5" tall, weighing about 140 pounds, and wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and black pants.
If you have any information about the attack or the attacker, call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477), text 274637 (CRIMES) and then dial TIP577, or submit a tip online at NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.
Right before the attack, the man had tried to grab someone else by the throat, a woman pushing a stroller near the corner of Ditmas and McDonald avenues. She kicked and punched him, and when a bystander approached them, the attacker ran along Ditmas and turned right on E. 2nd, and attacked Ms. Mati.