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Wednesday, September 2, 2026 · UTC
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NYPD reports 143% rise in serious assaults against NYC elderly since 2018

NYPD reports serious assaults on NYC adults 70+ up 143% since 2018, with 2,112 cases so far this year.

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The New York City Police Department reported that serious physical assaults against city residents aged 70 and older rose 143 percent from 2018, when 870 such cases were recorded, to 2026. [1] Wail Alselwi, a deli manager in Staten Island known as 'Island Ock', started a program three years ago rewarding neighborhood children with cash and free snacks for straight-A report cards. [2] Michael Alcazar, a retired New York City Police detective and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, attributed part of the rise in assaults to recidivism and the criminal justice system, saying some offenders are detained and then released. [3] The New York City Police Department recorded 2,112 serious assaults against elderly New Yorkers so far in 2026, compared with 1,853 in the same period of 2025, a 14 percent increase. [4] Alselwi used the raised funds to purchase and distribute fully stocked backpacks containing stationery and notebooks to 3,000 students across Staten Island before the new school term. [5] Social media followers and community members donated to Alselwi's GoFundMe campaign, raising more than $500,000 over three years. [6] The program gained widespread attention after a video showing 12-year-old student Zameir Davis receiving rewards went viral on TikTok. [7] The U.S. Census Bureau's latest estimates place New York City's population of residents aged 65 or older at about 1.43 million, with 421,000 in Queens, 418,000 in Brooklyn, 306,000 in Manhattan, 207,000 in the Bronx, and 87,000 in Staten Island. [8]
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  1. The New York City Police Department reported that serious physical assaults against city residents aged 70 and older rose 143 percent from 2018, when 870 such cases were recorded, to 2026. · Hoy Digital
  2. Wail Alselwi, a deli manager in Staten Island known as 'Island Ock', started a program three years ago rewarding neighborhood children with cash and free snacks for straight-A report cards. · The Times Of India
  3. Michael Alcazar, a retired New York City Police detective and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, attributed part of the rise in assaults to recidivism and the criminal justice system, saying some offenders are detained and then released. · Hoy Digital
  4. The New York City Police Department recorded 2,112 serious assaults against elderly New Yorkers so far in 2026, compared with 1,853 in the same period of 2025, a 14 percent increase. · Hoy Digital
  5. Alselwi used the raised funds to purchase and distribute fully stocked backpacks containing stationery and notebooks to 3,000 students across Staten Island before the new school term. · The Times Of India
  6. Social media followers and community members donated to Alselwi's GoFundMe campaign, raising more than $500,000 over three years. · The Times Of India
  7. The program gained widespread attention after a video showing 12-year-old student Zameir Davis receiving rewards went viral on TikTok. · The Times Of India
  8. The U.S. Census Bureau's latest estimates place New York City's population of residents aged 65 or older at about 1.43 million, with 421,000 in Queens, 418,000 in Brooklyn, 306,000 in Manhattan, 207,000 in the Bronx, and 87,000 in Staten Island. · Hoy Digital
We could not place any of them by their address. None is an official body: that part stands on reporting, not on the underlying document or transcript.
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