Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Thugs Attack SI Couple On Husband's 81st Birthday
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 26, 2011
Modified Jan 26, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Google Maps
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 26, 2011
Modified Jan 26, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
No matter how many times we see or hear stories about thugs attacking the elderly it never ceases to shock us and today's addition to the genre is no different. On Sunday evening two assailants went and beat the crap out of Joseph Naimo and his 74-year-old wife, Linda, on his 81st birthday. The incident, which netted the crooks $18, has Linda in stable but critical condition at Richmond University Hospital with a fractured skull, broken nose and broken jaw.
The Naimos had been celebrating Joseph's birthday in the store they've owned for 50 years, 3J's Variety Store on Victory Boulevard, when they decided to head home around 8 p.m. Not a big deal, since home was just upstairs. But after Naimo opened the exterior entrance to their apartment a man and a woman pushed their way in and knocked them to the ground while demanding money. The Staten Island Advance has photos of the blood still on their doorstep.
"And he just kept on hittin’ and hittin’ and hittin’," Naimo told the Advance. "Finally, he stops momentarily, and he’s asking, ‘Give me the money. Give me the money. Give me the money.’ And he starts ripping me apart. He was hitting me in the chest and everything, and he ripped my pants."
When the crooks realized Joseph had only a few bucks to give, they started taking it out on Linda. The attack only stopped when the duo was pushed off by the Naimo's son Rocco, 49, who suffered a black eye defending his parents. The crooks promptly fled.
Police are offering a $12,000 reward for information on the attack. The two suspects are described by Naimo (who, on top of everything else is legally blind!) and verified by a witness who saw them running away as a tall black male around 6" in a dark-hued hooded sweatshirt and a short black female with a stocky build.
Tagged
granny attack
joseph naimo
linda naimo
mugging
robbery
staten island
tompkinsville
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NY's prison system is in crisis. It's driving staff away from the job.
The state is currently struggling with a 56% vacancy rate among prison workers.
By
Emily Russell
Published Oct 4, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. ET
NYPD searching for suspect after fatal stabbing in Queens
Officers responding to a call at the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and 173rd Street around 1 a.m. found 29-year-old Sulimon Ferrier, who had multiple stab wounds to his chest, police said.
By
Ben Feuerherd
News
NYPD searching for suspect after fatal stabbing in Queens
Officers responding to a call at the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and 173rd Street around 1 a.m. found 29-year-old Sulimon Ferrier, who had multiple stab wounds to his chest, police said.
By
Ben Feuerherd
NYPD: 2 suspects in off-duty officer stabbing tried to rob victim
By
Jill Webb
Astoria-born Chip City announces sudden closure days after former CEO sues
By
Catalina Gonella
US judge tosses Trump lawsuit targeting pro-Palestinian protesters in NJ
By
Willow Higgins
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .