On Friday night, a Grandmother from Sunnyside, Queens knocked deli
robber unconscious with a wrapped Christmas present after he
threatened worker, police officer said.
The Dark haired, 5 foot tall, 64 year- old women, Josephine Bonanno,
who is the owner of Roma Deli, was finishing up Christmas shopping at
a local store, when she came back to her deli. When she walked into
the deli, she saw her son being threatened by a robber. She then took
the $65 dollar gift-wrapped Easton baseball bat that she bought for
her Grandson for Christmas, and knocked the man in a ski mask to the
floor, police robbery detective Willie Lopez said.
The identified robber of the deli, Harvey Lee, 18, who lives on 99th
Avenue in Rego Park was taken to Queens Medical Center for
observation tonight and then arraigned on robbery charges tomorrow
morning. “He was knocked out,” the medics say. “A minor concussion,
no serious damage.”
Police officer said that, Mrs. Bonanno, because of the holiday season
had most of the workers come in early to the deli. Even Mrs.
Bonanno’s son Phil Bonnano who is an accountant from Long Island,
came in to help out his mother during this hectic season. There are
usually about three counter workers that stay on until 7:30 p.m. when
two part- time workers come in. Police office said, “Mrs. Bonanno is
a nice lady and when things slowed down around 6:30 she let everyone
go home.”
For the hour between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Mrs. Bonnanno and her
son were left to care for the store alone. Their intentions were to
take the day’s receipts to the bank and then go home once the part
time workers came in. Because of the holiday season there was $6,000
dollars in cash in the register, which is much more, then usual,
police officer said.
Police said that when the store became less busy, Mrs. Bonanno
stepped out of the deli for a few minutes to pick up a Christmas
present that she ordered at Wolf’s Sports Shop a few doors down.
Mrs. Bonnano walked in on the ski-masked man yelling, “Give me the
money now, give me the money now or I’ll shoot,” like a chant. This
was after the robber stuck his hand in his pocket as if he had a gun
threatening her son saying, “I’ve got a gun, give me all your cash or
I’ll shoot.” Police said that Mrs. Bonanno says, she saw her son
being threatened and didn’t think twice. “I didn’t want to hurt him
seriously, just enough so he’d fall down and we could call the
police,” Mrs. Bonanno said. Mrs. Bonanno was less shaken up then her
son.
When asked what made Mrs. Bonanno hit the robber she replied, “I
don’t know. Maybe mothering instinct. Someone was going to shoot my
son. Money I can replace, my son I can’t. But I really didn’t think.
I saw Phil being threatened, I had this heavy metal bat in my hand,
and I just took a swing. Mickey Mantel I’m not, but I have watched
enough Little League games in my life to know how to swing a bat. So
I haulted off and hit the kid.”
