The New York City Police Department reported that serious physical assaults against city residents aged 70 and older rose 143 percent from 2018, when 870 such cases were recorded, to 2026. ^[1] Wail Alselwi, a deli manager in Staten Island known as 'Island Ock', started a program three years ago rewarding neighborhood children with cash and free snacks for straight-A report cards. ^[2] Michael Alcazar, a retired New York City Police detective and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, attributed part of the rise in assaults to recidivism and the criminal justice system, saying some offenders are detained and then released. ^[3] The New York City Police Department recorded 2,112 serious assaults against elderly New Yorkers so far in 2026, compared with 1,853 in the same period of 2025, a 14 percent increase. ^[4] Alselwi used the raised funds to purchase and distribute fully stocked backpacks containing stationery and notebooks to 3,000 students across Staten Island before the new school term. ^[5] Social media followers and community members donated to Alselwi's GoFundMe campaign, raising more than $500,000 over three years. ^[6] The program gained widespread attention after a video showing 12-year-old student Zameir Davis receiving rewards went viral on TikTok. ^[7] The U.S. Census Bureau's latest estimates place New York City's population of residents aged 65 or older at about 1.43 million, with 421,000 in Queens, 418,000 in Brooklyn, 306,000 in Manhattan, 207,000 in the Bronx, and 87,000 in Staten Island. ^[8]