Woman fed up with NYC grocery store robbery, robs boy, slaps his mother

A distraught woman snatched a wad of cash out of a 7-year-old boy’s hand at a Bronx grocery store — and then scuffled with his mother, according to police and surveillance video obtained by The Post Friday.

The child was paying for fruit at Richards Fruit & Vegetable on Jerome Avenue near Marcy Place in Mount Eden about 11:40 a.m. on Sept. 24 when the burgundy-haired thief snatched the bill from her hand, police said.

Video from the store shows the ruthless robber snatching dollars and then slapping and punching the young man’s 38-year-old mother, who was pushing a stroller with a baby.

The suspect was seen wearing black and gray athletic clothing in separate footage released by the NYPD. She fled north toward East 170th Street, police said.

The injured mother was treated at the scene by EMS, police said.

According to Eric Vidals, 44, co-owner of Richards Fruits and Vegetables, a family-owned business for 27 years, the boy had borrowed about $4 from him.

When she saw the video she said, “Honestly, it was shocking at that moment because I had my own children too.”

He noted that he had seen the attacker before walking around the neighborhood asking for cash from people, but had never seen him wearing a red wig.

“We’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. “Snatching $3, $4 from a 7-year-old kid. This is madness.”

Anyone with information about the shooting — which was still on the loose Friday — should call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782 ) are asked to call.

The public can also submit their suggestions by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.orgOr x @NYPDTips.