The following is the NY Post report on the robbery (reported on Wednesday by YWN):
Manhattan, NY – A coldblooded thief fatally shot an elderly Madison Avenue jewelry-store worker who refused to hand over the loot during a $1 million heist yesterday — then forbade the dying man’s colleague from calling 911.
Henry Menahem, 71, was gunned down inside R.S. Durant Jewelers — just up the street from the Whitney Museum on the ritziest retail stretch in Manhattan.
The well-dressed gunman walked into the store shortly after noon, announced a robbery and threw two canvas bags at Menahem and a co-worker, ordering them to fill them up, cops said.
Both men boldly refused. The gunman released the ammo clip from his 9mm semiautomatic handgun to show them the bullets.
“You think I’m kidding? This is real!” he yelled at Menahem, jamming the clip back in and firing once at his chest, police said.
Menahem fell to the ground, and the killer began to fill the bags himself, ordering the horrified co-worker to help.
The thug knocked over a glass display case in the 12-by-20-foot boutique and grabbed fistfuls of gems and diamond necklaces.
Menahem’s co-worker pleaded with the shooter to let him call 911 so rescue workers could have a chance to save his life.
“No,” the killer said.
The gunman — whose face was covered with a scarf and sunglasses — fled south on Madison Avenue. There was no video camera in the store.
The sources estimated the ruthless robber got away with more than 20 pieces of jewelry worth more than $1 million.
A source said a door buzzer designed to keep out suspicious characters was on the fritz.
Witnesses later described a chaotic scene at the store, between East 75th and 76th streets.
Chauffeur Ray Alicea said a man was outside, screaming into his cellphone, “Pop was shot! Pop was shot! We got robbed!”
The victim “looked like he was in really bad shape. There was blood everywhere,” Alicea said.
Tony Burke, who works in a nearby restaurant, said, “The cop was standing over him trying to stop the bleeding. [Menahem’s] entire shirt — from his neck to his stomach — was covered in blood.”
Paramedics performed CPR as they got him into an ambulance, but their efforts were in vain.
A woman at his Long Branch, NJ, home said, “The family is in shock.”
A family friend described the married Menahem as “a gentleman,” an Orthodox Syrian Jew with three grown daughters and “many grandchildren.”
“He was always a very friendly, happy guy, always caring about people,” the pal said. “At one time, he was battling cancer. Unfortunately, this is what took him.”
The killer was described as a 5-foot-10 black man in his 30s, wearing a blue wool coat, black shoes, gray pants, a scarf, sunglasses and black gloves.
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
14 Responses
Baruch Dayan Haeemet! What a terrible tragedy to happen! May his dear family have much nechama and no more zaar or heartache.
Funeral Friday at 9am bloomfield cooper highway 35 eatontown nj
the pasuk says “al nafshecha v’al meodecha” and chazal tell us that some people have more love for their money than their own life. this is a terrible tragedy but it should serve as a lesson for everyone that when someone with a gun come in and says “your money or your life” you have a chiyuv to cough up the cash and save your life.
really, do you think its appropriate to teach the moral of the story??? a man lost his life and a family is grieving- keep it to yourself please
I don’t get it, how come such an upscale high end jewelry store in such a location does not have video surveilance? In London the stores have panick buttons attached that alerts the neighboring stores of trouble, so that if C”V There’s a holdup you get instant help and the police are alerted at the same time. the thief will have no idea bout it as it’s well consealed but very easy to reach to.
mc113:
my intent is not to teach a “moral of the story,”
it is merely to send out a public service announcement that people should freely give up their money when lives are at stake. those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
Boruch Dayan Haemes. How tragic. May the family have a nechama.
Dear YWN editor: Please, out of respect and compassion for the niftar and his family, delete comment #3. That is really low.
To all those who are “AMAZED” etc.
Are you aware that Misakim is struggling financially and that there is a link right here
on The Yeshiva World where you can show your appreciation in a concrete way
To jew yorker in comment #3 I was in a similar situation (but not nearly as much money) and the would be robber pointed a gun at me and ordered me to give him the money in my pockets.
I had just gotten enough to pay rent, and if I had given it to the crook I would have become homeless and died from Hepititus eating out of trash cans or burned up when set on fire whiole sleepingh as has happened to some homeless people in past years.
At least those were my fears.
I feared that kind of suffering far more then a relatively quick and painless death by gunshot so instead of giving the crook my money I chased him away (surprised that he ran so easily but Baruch H-sh-m, he did).
Sometimes money IS life since you can’t get along without it and for some people it is much harder to replace then it might be for others.
baruch dayan haemes!!
hamokom yenechem eschem…….
dear jew yorker
the real facts of the case is the man never refused to give up the money
he was in shock and was not moving fast enough causing the robber to shoot him
this is a tragedy let’s not try to blame an innocent victim
Baruch Dayan Haemes may they find the victim soon.
DEAR JEW YORKER: YOU HAVE SOME NERVE AT THIS TIME OF TRAGEDY FOR THAT POOR MANS FAMILY. IT IS A TIME TO COMFORT THEM NOT TO STAT LECTURING THEM OR THE REST OF THE JEWISH NATION. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT FACING ANY KIND OF DANGER AT ALL. WELL I WAS JUST 18 YEARS OLD WHEN MY BROTHER & I WERE HELD UP IN A SIMILAR SITUATION. IT WAS ON 5TH AVE & 42ND ST A JEWELRY STORE ALSO AN UPSCALE NEIGHBORHOOD. THERE WERE TWO BLACK MEN THAT HELD US UP AT GUNPOINT. WE GAVE THEM EVERYTHING & STILL THE GUNMAN STILL PULLED THE TRIGGER AND WAS AIMING FOR MY BROTHERS HEAD AS I MADE MY WAY ACROSS THE STORE TO SAVE HIM A BULLET WAS FIRED. MY BROTHER WAS ABLE TO DIVERT THE GUNSHOT AWAY FROM HIM. IN TURN THE BULLET RICHOCHET OFF THE MIRROR AND GRAZED MY HEAD. THE DR. SAID IT WAS 1/8TH OF AN INCH AWAY FROM MY BRAIN WITH X-RAYS TO PROVE IT. BARUCH HASHEM IMY BROTHER & I WERE SAVED. SO BEFORE YOU GO DARSHINING ON THE WEB SHOW JUST A LITTLE BIT OF SYMPATHY FOR THE FAMILY. TO THE FAMILY MY CONDOLENCES. YOUR FATHER WAS A GOOD MAN WHO LEFT AN IMPRESSIVE LEGACY. AS FOR JEW YORKER LEARN SOME DERECH ERETZ.
Looks like jew yorker will be careful with his words next time