This past Tuesday, one 90-year-old man that owns and operates a local candy store in New York City was savagely attacked.
Ramon “Ray” Alvarez explained that he had been standing outside of the candy store that he owns at roughly 3:00 a.m. that Tuesday morning when a pair of men walked up on him and attempted to strongarm him into purchasing a few cases of seltzer water, as reported by Fox 5 New York.
Once Alvarez turned the pair of men down, he states that one man threatened and attacked him with what he described as a belt with a rock attached to the end. Alvarez was slammed in the face and dropped to the ground as the pair of men departed on foot, as reported by Fox 5.
As of this past Thursday, Alvarez released a statement saying, “I feel good,” despite the fact that he still is not able to eat properly or chew his own food. He is still quite concerned, however, that his jaw may actually be broken but explained that he had not been out to see a doctor.
The New York Police Department issued a series of pictures of the man that was being sought in out as a suspect related to the assault.
Alvarez is originally a native of Iran and successfully immigrated to the United States back in the 1960ss. He quickly became a U.S. citizen. The candy store that he owns has been a staple of the area since 1974, and a GoFundMe was set up to try and help him in the wake of his dealing with a number of financial difficulties.
throughout the pandemic, the total amount of money required to make sure the shop stayed open and working was close to two times as much as it had been in the past. Inflation has also been an issue for him and has caused his life to be much more difficult.
“I got a bill from Con Edison, they didn’t come to read the meter for five months,” he previously stated. “The bill was $18,000.”
“All my costs doubled, from cooking oil and potatoes to electricity,” explained Alvarez previously to Side Dish, as reported by The New York Post.
“Rent is a killer. When I started in 1974, I paid $125 and now I am paying $6,185 a month. After I paid my rent and the electricity, I didn’t have any money for my health,” stated Alcarez at that time. The rent for his home is a bit lower because he lives in an apartment above the store.
“Everyone loves Ray,” stated Nicolas Heller, a resident of the Williamsburg area and a longtime customer of the man. “He was always a fixture. Ray has been this old man working in the wee hours of the night, keeping the lights on for his business for as long as I can remember.”
Over the course of this past year, New York City has experienced a massive spike of 22% when it comes to major crimes.
