Over the weekend, an 81-year-old Queens man returning from a bridge game was brutally beaten after being followed into his Astoria building. WCBS 2 reports that Mayer Behmoiras (pictured) was hurt so "terribly his wife, Frances, said at times he thinks he's back in 1947 and he's working at Macy's." Now police say that a 23-year-old man has been arrested for the crime.
According to WABC 7, Jesus Fernandez allegedly followed Behmoiras into the elevator and "mercilessly began beating him on the head just to steal his old Hyundai." His wife and neighbors found the elderly man in a pool of blood. Doctors say Behmoiras suffered significant brain damage, is confused, and can't walk.
Police received a tip about Fernandez yesterday after publicizing the case, but the arrest is only a small comfort. Wife Frances Behmoiras said, "I want him to go to jail. I want somebody to hit him over the head too," and son Albert Behmoiras described his dad's condition, "Sometimes he thinks Lyndon Johnson is President; other times he thinks it is 1947... If he can understand - and I'm hoping that he will - he will be very happy... He worked at Macy's for 48 years. And when I see him now, he insists that I give him a receipt for merchandise I'm returning."
Last year, a man who attacked old ladies, including one who was 101, was sentenced to 75 years in prison.
