90-Year-Old Owner of Famed NYC Candy Shop Brutally Attacked Outside Store He’s Run for Decades

The elderly owner of a famous candy shop in New York City was violently assaulted right outside of his store, once again bringing light to the massive 🚔Crime crisis plaguing the city.

According to WNBC, on Tuesday, 90-year-old Ray Alvarez, who owns the iconic Ray’s Candy Store, was brutally beaten while walking outside his store at 3 a.m.

Alvarez says that a man approached him asking him if he wanted seltzer water. After Alvarez politely declined, the man whacked him on the head with a belt with a heavy rock on the end.

“Then he told his friend, ‘Hold this I want to kill this guy,'” Alvarez said. “He surprised me and I thought the end of the world, I hit the ground, saw the blood and I thought this looks like the end.”

Indeed, the suspect ultimately opted to run down the street, leaving a bleeding and injured Alvarez for dead.

Alvarez is a well-known figure in the neighborhood and many of his employees and neighbors were shocked that someone would attack this beloved community icon.

“Ray is everyone’s grandpa. People who don’t have family around, Ray takes care of everyone,” said employee Gabe Thorne. “The fact that this happened makes everyone super upset.”

In fact, Alvarez initially did not want to press charges against his assailant, but the people in the community were so outraged that they convinced him to report the attack to the police.

Despite the brutal beating, Alvarez was determined to not stop working. A few hours later, he was back at the counter serving customers.