Concerned New Yorkers established an online fund Friday to benefit a 93-year-old woman robbed of $600 by a thief who callously plucked the cash from her bra.
The GoFundMe page for Maria Vasquez was launched shortly after Broyoan Lopez, 26, was arrested for the brazen East Harlem heist as the elderly woman sat helplessly in her wheelchair.
The Brooklyn man was charged with robbery, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, cops said. The victimized senior citizen was happy to hear about Lopez’s arrest.
“I feel safe — this guy is going to be in jail and not keep robbing people,” said Vasquez. “I want the authorities to punish him, to put him in jail. He has to pay.”
The Wednesday afternoon robbery in an E. 116th St. department store was captured on surveillance video, with the bearded bandit’s face and man bun clearly visible.
The page for donations went up as outraged Daily News readers offered their help to Vasquez.
“Growing up in Brooklyn we were taught to respect our elders,” wrote reader Joe Vives. “We were taught to help them, not hurt them. I’d like to try and restore her faith in humanity.”
The money would come as a huge help to Vasquez and her daughter, Maria Minerva Vasquez, as they try to cover their monthly rent, groceries and utility bills.
“It’s going to be hard on us,” said Maria Vasquez. “I don’t know what we’ll do.”
She was thrilled when she was told about the cyber fund-raising effort.
“I hope I'll be able to pay for all the things I need,” said the nonagenarian. “I wish happiness and health for everybody. I'm very happy and content."
Vasquez had just cashed her Social Security check at a nearby bank and was shopping for a new pair of sandals at Regines in East Harlem when the thief struck about 12:20 p.m.
The robber apparently followed Vasquez from the bank to the department store before making his move.
Vasquez recalled watching her caretaker peruse the store's remaining selection of summer shoes when she felt a hand grabbing at her chest.
“He thrust his hand here, and he grabbed the envelope,” she said. “I said, 'Come here! Come here! He's stealing my money!’”
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