Police arrested two suspects for allegedly assaulting a 76-year-old man near Roosevelt Avenue in Elmhurst. NYPD
Jan. 23, 2025 By Bill Parry
The two men who allegedly assaulted and robbed a 76-year-old Asian man near Roosevelt Avenue in Elmhurst during the early morning hours of Thursday, Jan. 2, were arrested separately earlier this month.
Carlos Peralta, 29, of 94th Street in Jackson Heights was arrested Jan. 8 and booked at the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst. Peralta was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court later that day while his accomplice remained at large.
According to the criminal complaint, the senior was in front of 40-30 73rd Street at around 3:10 a.m. when Peralta and the other man approached him and began to argue with him. Peralta proceeded to shove the victim, who fell onto a short metal fence, fracturing eight ribs. They snatched his cell phone before running off toward Roosevelt Avenue. EMS transported the victim to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
After he was collared on Jan. 8, Peralta told a detective that he didn’t do it.
When cops arrested Carlos Peralta they found rock cocaine in his possession. NYPD
“Oh no, we didn’t push him, Victor tapped him on the shoulder and he got frightened and fell over,” Peralta said, according to the criminal complaint.
He also stated, ”Yes, we’re taking that phone because Victor said he stole that phone.” When the detective showed him a screenshot of video surveillance that showed “Victor” holding the stolen cell phone, Peralta said, “Yes, that is the phone we took from the guy.”
When police spotted Peralta at 3:20 a.m. on Jan. 8, at the intersection of 35th Avenue and 94th Street just steps from his home, they saw him holding a glass pipe which he threw on the ground as soon as he saw the cops. As they took him into custody, the glass pipe was recovered and three separate quantities of rock cocaine were found in Peralta’s front right pocket.
Peralta was arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge Maria Gonzalez on a complaint charging him with robbery in the first and second degree, assault in the second degree (elderly person over 65), assault in the second degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Judge Gonzales set bail at $50,000 cash and $150,000 bond.
On Jan. 10, police from the 110th Precinct arrested his alleged accomplice, Victor Nagua, 39, of 50th Avenue in Elmhurst. During questioning, Nagua refuted Peralta’s version of the story.
When Victor Nagua was arrested on Jan. 10, he told cops that the injured senior fell on his own, suffering eight fractured ribs. NYPD
“Carlos steals from drunk people, that’s what he does,” Nagua said. “I don’t have the heart to do this, it’s not my style.”
He also told police neither he nor Peralta caused the senior to fall off the short metal fence, busting eight of his ribs.
“What happened here was he fell,” Nagua said, according to the criminal complaint.
He was arraigned on Jan. 10 before Queens Criminal Court Judge Richard Tsai on a complaint charging him with robbery in the first and second degree, assault in the second degree (elderly person over 65), and assault in the second degree. Judge Tsai set bail at $5,000.
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