2 elderly women attacked in separate punching incidents on Upper West Side

NEW YORK CITY - Two elderly women were punched in separate attacks within hours of each other on the Upper West Side last Friday, police said.

Police said the attacks appear to be unrelated.

First attack

Police are looking for the suspect who assaulted an elderly woman.

It happened around 2 in the afternoon on West 72nd Street near Central Park.

Police say the 77-year-old victim was approached by the suspect who punched her in the eye before running out.

The woman sustained minor injuries, police said.

Second attack

Then a few hours later, an 81-year-old woman was sucker punched at 66th Street and Amsterdam Avenue while walking her dog.

Police are still searching for the suspect in that case.

The woman spoke exclusively with FOX 5 saying she suffered a concussion and doesn't remember much of the attack.

The woman, Gloria, said if the victim is found, she wants him to get help and treatment, not jail time.

"It was not against me. He is sick and he did not really rob me. He did not take anything. He just hit me for no good reason," she explained.

Those encounters are examples of a spike in misdemeanor assaults, which is up 9% from last year and 15% in the past two years, according to NYPD data.