A suspect, wanted for the assault of his 99-year-old landlord in upper Manhattan, has been extradited to New York City to face charges. The landlord, Jose Antonio Tour, suffered a stroke following a $20,000 robbery and subsequently died.
The suspect, Domingo Vazquez Rodriguez, 39, who previously rented from Tour, was arrested in Philadelphia on September 29. This was a week after the alarming robbery on September 22 at one of Tour’s buildings located on West 187th Street near Audubon Avenue in Washington Heights.
Authorities reported that the incident began when a man in a ski mask called the elderly owner around 10 a.m., claiming he had a package that needed to be delivered. Alarmingly, he requested that Tour meet him at a side entrance—an unusual request indicating that the caller might not have been familiar with the building.
When Tour attempted to open the gate, the intruder forced his way past him. “The 99-year-old man began to struggle with his attacker,” noted NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenney. During the scuffle, Tour’s hand became stuck between the gate and its frame, resulting in an injury requiring stitches.
After pushing into the basement of the building, the suspect threatened Tour with a gun, demanding to be allowed into his office. Once inside, he stole at least $20,000 in rent money stored in a cabinet.
Kenney stated, “He was responsible for collecting rent, and someone clearly knew he kept money in that cabinet. The suspect was familiar with the building and its layout.” Tour ended up in the hospital due to his injuries, where he suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on one side. His grandson, Jose Miguel Tour, shared that his grandfather was later moved into intensive care and then hospice, eventually passing away on October 8.
On the day of his grandfather’s death, Jose Miguel expressed his feelings of frustration regarding the state of safety in the city. “It’s just anger and disgust at how lawless New York has become, and it seems like there’s no accountability or respect for those committing these crimes,” he reflected. “It feels like there are no limits to what can happen, especially with the current turmoil.”
