Seventy-six-year-old Ellie Colin says she has lived in the Big Apple for over half a century, went to school, worked, and has lived in Manhattan for all those years without incident — until Jan. 26.
The senior, who told amNewYork Metro that she is an avid subway rider and likes to keep active, was heading to her Upper West Side home that fateful day when a man later identified as 22-year-old Elijah Gay — an individual with an extensive criminal record, police said — allegedly robbed her as she was leaving the 73rd Street and Broadway station.
“I was walking up the steps, it was really very empty. And all of a sudden, I’m being jostled against the railing I was holding. I see someone bang into me and take my wallet,” Colin recalled. “I said I’m not gonna stop at the middle of the steps because whoever he is could push me so I got up to the top. I looked in my pocketbook and sure enough, my wallet was missing with $500 dollars and my credit cards.”
Unsure of what to do next, Colin decided to head home — but within minutes her cellphone started buzzing with notifications that her credit cards were being used. The thief apparently wasted little cashing in her cards, leaving his victim even more distraught.
With everything happening so fast, Colin said she mulled over whether to even report the incident, skeptical that police would take a stolen wallet seriously. But reports of incidents are critical toward helping police stop repeat offenders.
“More often than not, the people that are doing these crimes are doing more than one. And it’s very important to report it so we know what’s going on,” NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper said. “We keep tracking data and that’s how we deploy our personnel based upon crime reports. So, if we don’t know what happens it’s very hard to deploy.”
Colin said she ultimately decided to report the incident and was shocked to discover that she was not the only victim targeted by the perpetrator. She sat down with lead detective on the case, Frank Danoy, and discussed every aspect in hopes of helping put a profile together of the senior stalker.
Gay, police reported, was wanted for brazen crimes dating back to Dec. 23, 2023, when he allegedly shoved a 78-year-old man to the ground of 70th Street and 2nd Avenue after fleeing with his wallet, leaving him with cuts.
In another incident, on Feb. 2, he apparently snuck up on a 90-year-old woman inside of the 59 Street-Columbus Circle Station where he snatched her purse, making off with not only her credit cards but also hearing aids worth $6,000.
“He’s taking advantage of these people who can’t defend themselves, it was very, very concerning. It was a top priority to make sure that these victims got the justice that they deserve,” Detective Danoy told amNewYork Metro. “I had multiple cases against this individual where I created a wanted flier for him, and it was distributed out to all of the transit districts transit corps.”
However, with hundreds of thousands of people passing through the transit system each day, finding one man seems almost like finding a needle in a haystack. Yet find him police did.
Transit cops Jazmin Roman and Sergeant Juan Hernandez were keeping their keen eyes on the subway portion of Grand Central Station on Feb. 6 when they spotted Gay allegedly jumping over the turnstiles. Remembering his image, the pair stopped Gay and placed him in cuffs, recovering a knife from his pocket.
“This case was so specifically important to us because we realized that this person was targeting elderly people. So, we took this very personal, we went out every day to try to get this guy,” Sergeant Hernandez said.
The incident also seemed to underscore the importance of combating fare evasion — which police have said often individuals responsible for more serious crimes in the subway system.
Meanwhile, Colin shared that she was extremely shaken up after the incident, but was left in shock that cops apprehended the serial offender.
“I was in my office when I found out and I was with my colleagues. We all started cheering NYPD,” Colin said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Law-enforcement sources say that Gay is a recidivist who has spent much of his young life involved in crime. Chief Kemper implored for him to be held accountable for his actions.
“There must be consequences for this person’s actions. It must be accountability. Making the arrest is great. But the prosecution is equally as important,” Chief Kemper said.
Bail for Gay — who was booked on charges of second-degree robbery and multiple grand larceny and identity theft counts — was set at $10,000 cash or $100,000 bond at his Feb. 8 arraignment; he is due back in court on Feb. 23, according to court records.
