NYPD: Suspects assault 67-year-old hardware store employee in the Bronx

NEW YORK - The NYPD is asking for the public’s help finding two men who assaulted a hardware store employee in the Bronx on September 25.

According to authorities, the suspects entered J &A Hardware at 980 Longwood Avenue around 2:40 p.m. and began talking to the 67-year-old male employee, before they began knocking items off of the shelves.

The employee then began a physical struggle with one of the suspects, at which time the second suspect kicked the employee in the chest, causing him to fall back and strike his head on the pavement and lose consciousness. 

The suspects then ran away eastbound on Longwood Avenue.

The employee suffered a fractured orbital socket and abrasions to the back of his head. EMS took him to NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in serious but stable condition. 

Anyone with information in regard to the identities of the males is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or on Twitter @NYPDTips. 

Police say all calls are confidential.