UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (PIX11) -- Hyman Silverglad is battling cancer and kidney failure, among other ailments, at 91 years old. However, nothing has caused him the type of pain and trauma, like being viciously mugged near his home on the Upper East Side.
"And I was, at the same time, shouting for police. Then he flung me with both of his hands to the sidewalk, and I landed on my back," Silverglad told PIX11 from his hospital bed.
The attempted robbery happened near 86th Street and First Avenue last Thursday while he was doing errands.
Doctors determined the unidentified suspect caused Silverglad to suffer six broken ribs and a spinal hematoma. But the ailing grandfather didn't surrender his wallet or his sense of humor.
"Silverglad does not give up money. I have a reputation too for being very penurious," he joked.
James Silverglad, his son, said his dad's been steadily improving, but an arrest will be the best medicine.
"I want the NYPD to make an arrest so this person doesn't do it to somebody else...it's horrific," he said.
Turns out, the NYPD is investigating a separate crime spree around the subways, where another thief is preying on senior citizens, too.
Four victims ranging in age from 74 to 91 years old have been robbed in recent weeks, according to the NYPD. So callous police said he stole the 91-year-old woman’s hearing aids.
Silverglad prided himself as a successful New York City attorney for six decades.
The Brooklyn-born father of two sums it up like this,
"If nothing is done to abate what is happening, then I feel sorry for the next few generations - including my grandchildren," he said.