By Robin Jovanovich and Tom McDermott

 

A 72-year-old woman was attacked August 27 in her apartment in the 4000 building at The Osborn retirement community at 411 Theodore Fremd Avenue. Waking around 2 a.m., the woman saw a man in her living room, dressed in black and hooded, wielding a kitchen knife.

She confronted him, taking the knife away while suffering cuts to her face and head. The intruder fled the apartment.

At 2:07 a.m., the Osborn security guard noticed a suspicious male on the property and called Rye PD. Within minutes, officers arrived at the scene. At 2:19 a.m., the victim dialed 911. She was taken to Greenwich Hospital, where she was treated for non-life threatening cuts and bruises and was later released.

Officers on the scene checked the fourth-floor hallway and stairwells before contacting Harrison, Mamaroneck, and MTA Police and requesting helicopter, blood- hound, and the Criminal Investigations Division unit.

According to Rye Police Commissioner Bill Connors, the intruder left a bag with suspicious contents. The Fire Department and the Westchester County Bomb Squad were called to the scene. The 4000 building was evacuated. The bag contained two golf balls, wrapped in duct tape, tied with a string.

Osborn CEO Mark Zwerger told the paper, “I don’t want the public to think The Osborn isn’t a secure place. In the 24 years I’ve been here, we have had no other incidents like this. The police indicated that our resident was targeted, that this was not a random act.” He added, “The police are doing a thorough investigation.”

On Wednesday, Zwerger met with the resident who is “recovering well but still badly shaken by the event.”

The assailant remains at large. Anyone with information regarding the crime should contact the Rye Police Department Detective Division at 967-1234.