Video shows woman stealing money from child in the Bronx, hitting boy's mother

    NEW YORK (WCBS, WLNY) -- Video shows a woman stealing money from a child in the Bronx, then hitting his mother and walking away.

It happened just before noon on Sept. 24 at Richard's Fruit and Vegetables grocery store on Jerome Avenue.

Security video from inside the store shows a 7-year-old boy standing near the front counter with cash in his hand and a woman opening the door and talking to the boy with her hand extended. As the boy approaches her, the woman snatches the money out of his hand, then leaves the store.

Surveillance cameras outside the store captured the boy's mother approaching the woman and reaching for the money, but the woman shoves her hand away, hits the mother in the face, then walks away.

The mother was treated at the scene, and no one was seriously injured.

Anyone who recognizes the suspect or has more information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted on the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.

Eric Vidals, co-owner of the grocery store, said employees had seen the suspect in the area in the past, but they have not seen her since the incident.

"She's always outside asking for money. That's the only thing she does, but you know, that day, she just snatched the money from the little kid. It was insane," he said.

Vidals says the woman only got away with a few dollars, but he can't remember the last time there was an incident like that in the store's 27-year history.

"We have heard like, down the block, around the corner, you know, there's always something happening," he said.