{"id":2484123,"date":"2025-09-09T12:06:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T16:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/87-year-old-boxer-weightlifter-and-vet-sends-middle-east-thieves-running-as-they-try-stealing-his-48k-watch\/"},"modified":"2025-09-09T12:07:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T16:07:30","slug":"87-year-old-boxer-weightlifter-and-vet-sends-middle-east-thieves-running-as-they-try-stealing-his-48k-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/87-year-old-boxer-weightlifter-and-vet-sends-middle-east-thieves-running-as-they-try-stealing-his-48k-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"87-Year-Old Boxer, Weightlifter, and Vet Sends Middle East Thieves Running as They Try Stealing His $48K Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F87-year-old-boxer-weightlifter-and-vet-sends-middle-east-thieves-running-as-they-try-stealing-his-48k-watch%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2484123&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>An 87-year-old New Yorker, Lawrence Schwartz, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tennis-fritz-wins-all-american-showdown-to-clinch-japan-open-title\/\" title=\"Tennis...Fritz wins all...American showdown to clinch Japan Open title\">bravely defended<\/a> himself and his wife, Joanna Cuccia, against two <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nyc-subway-workers-call-for-protections-amid-uptick-in-violence\/\" title=\"NYC subway workers call for protections amid uptick in violence\">con artists<\/a> attempting<\/a> to steal his valuable $48,000 Rolex watch in Manhattan. The scammers used a ruse involving a fake request for directions,with the woman trying to snatch CucciaS jewelry. schwartz, a former Air Force veteran, boxer, and daily weightlifter, stood his ground and used his self-defense skills to fend off the attackers.Despite being scratched and bruised, the elderly couple successfully protected themselves and their property. The NYPD is investigating whether this attempted theft was part of a larger crime ring. Schwartz&#8217;s courageous response highlights his strength, determination, and refusal to be victimized despite his age.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Some stories just make you want to stand up and cheer.<\/p>\n<p>An 87-year-old New Yorker showed the kind of toughness this country was built on when he warded off a pair of would-be thieves in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/creepy-photos-show-inside-epsteins-manhattan-mansion-new-letters-revealed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Manhattan<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/news\/new-yorker-fights-suspects-trying-to-steal-rolex\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WCBS<\/a> reported that Lawrence Schwartz and his wife, Joanna Cuccia, were walking into a senior center off East 23rd Street last week when trouble showed up.<\/p>\n<p>Cuccia <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/post\/new-york-city-elderly-couple-turns-tables-con-artists-trying-steal-rolex-watch\/17772704\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a> WABC that a man claiming to be from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/see-photos-dubai-looks-break-guinness-world-record-100-story-residential-tower\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dubai<\/a> asked them for directions as part of a ruse to con her husband out of his watch.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He said, &lsquo;I want to go to a Walmart.&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;There are no Walmarts in Manhattan,&#8217;&rdquo; she told WCBS.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>That was the setup. Moments later, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/are-covid-case-surges-more-fake-news\/\" title=\"Are COVID Case Surges More Fake News?\">man&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s wife tried to snatch Cuccia&rsquo;s jewelry.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;She wouldn&rsquo;t let go. She scratched me,&rdquo; Cuccia said.<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s when Schwartz stepped in.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You have an attitude? I&rsquo;ll give you an attitude,&rdquo; he said, per WABC, after realizing he was dealing with con artists who were trying to swap his watch for a &ldquo;knockoff.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>After he didn&rsquo;t bite, the woman turned on him and went after the Rolex on his wrist &ndash; a $48,000 piece, WCBS reported.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a Rolex President. It&rsquo;s gold, and you can see it a block away,&rdquo; Schwartz said. &ldquo;She got her hand under here, and that&rsquo;s where the clasp was.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Countless men of any age might have folded, but Schwartz, an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/air-force-reverses-biden-administration-decision-grants-ashli-babbitt-military-honor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Air Force<\/a> veteran, former boxer, and a daily weight lifter, stood his ground, WABC noted.<\/p>\n<p>Decades of self-defense training came roaring back.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Elderly couple turns tables on con artists trying to steal Rolex\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D47g4mc4jNM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I grabbed the woman&rsquo;s hand and twisted her arm,&rdquo; he said, WCBS reported, noting she thought he was just another &ldquo;sucker&rdquo; to be taken advantage of.<\/p>\n<p>This wasn&rsquo;t his first scrap. Not only did he walk away from the altercation with his own watch, but also with the knockoff.<\/p>\n<p>When describing Schwartz, a reporter for WABC said, &ldquo;Larry&rsquo;s the kind of guy who eats nails for breakfast.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Have I had different run-ins with people, whether it be drunks or wise guys? Yeah,&rdquo; Schwartz told WCBS.<\/p>\n<p>But he wasn&rsquo;t about to let his wife or his watch be taken without a fight.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I mean, I&rsquo;m stronger than most people,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They never expected two gray heads like us to put up such a [fight],&rdquo; Cuccia said.<\/p>\n<p>Scratched and a little bruised but unbroken, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mark-mccloskey-announces-senate-bid-in-missouri\/\" title=\"Mark McCloskey Announces Senate Bid In Missouri\">couple stood<\/a> their ground against two much younger con artists.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We look old enough to take advantage of, I guess,&rdquo; Schwartz said.<\/p>\n<p>But he proved them wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Asked what he hoped to see happen to the would-be thieves, the feisty octogenarian said, &ldquo;I would like the police to incarcerate them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/breaking-reports-active-shooter-nyc-screamed-free-palestine-nypd-officers-hit-developing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NYPD<\/a> is trying to determine if the attempted theft was part of a larger crime network.<\/p>\n<p>But the takeaway here is Schwartz&rsquo;s stand wasn&rsquo;t just about a watch. It was about an old school American who refused to be treated like a victim.<\/p>\n<p>At 87, he was accosted and still has the grit to step up and protect his wife, his property, and his dignity.<\/p>\n<p>Strength, courage, and the will to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/florida-man-dressed-batman-pajamas-helps-police-nab-criminal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">defend what&rsquo;s yours<\/a> are virtues that &mdash; like Rolex watches &mdash; never go out of style.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some stories inspire you to cheer. An 87-year-old New Yorker demonstrated true grit when he fended off two attempted thieves in Manhattan. Lawrence Schwartz and his wife, Joanna Cuccia, were entering a senior center on East 23rd Street when trouble arose<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2484124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Lawrence-Schwartz.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[62929,61133,62930],"class_list":["post-2484123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-elderly-athlete","tag-theft-prevention","tag-vintage-watch"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Lawrence-Schwartz.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2484123"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2484127,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484123\/revisions\/2484127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2484124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2484123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2484123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2484123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}