82-year-old Lower Manhattan man’s death ruled a homicide, police say

A 79-year-old Manhattan man has been charged in connection with the fatal assault of an 82-year-old neighbor, authorities announced Monday. Dana Escoffier allegedly pushed Dean Conover Whetzel to the ground outside a cafe on Hudson Street last October.

Whetzel suffered severe injuries, including a swollen eye and a head laceration, which led him to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition. He was kept there for nearly three weeks before passing away due to his injuries.

According to police, Escoffier claimed he pushed Whetzel because the elderly man had bumped into him earlier. However, an eyewitness followed Escoffier and later identified him to law enforcement.

The NYPD is still investigating the incident, which has been classified as a homicide by city medical examiners. Escoffier's lawyer declined to comment on the case.

This incident marks one of two homicides reported in the Sixth Precinct this year. In contrast, the same precinct saw no violent deaths during the same period last year.

The arrest highlights growing concerns over elder abuse and violence in Manhattan neighborhoods. The West Village, where the altercation occurred, has seen an uptick in crime, including non-fatal assaults on elderly residents in recent years.

Authorities are still gathering evidence in the case, with updates to be provided in court.

79-year-old men behaving like toddlers? Elder abuse is getting out of control in Manhattan!

this is crazy, I mean who pushes someone into the ground over a bump? it's like a scene from a movie or something... I feel so bad for Dean Whetzel, 82 is old enough to know better, but still... and what's going on with these elderly folks in Manhattan, are they not protected anymore? I've lived in the area for years and seen some weird stuff go down, but this is just disturbing. I'm glad the cops are investigating, but it's gonna be hard to prove it was intentional...

Ugh I mean, come on! An 82-year-old dude gets pushed down by some 79-year-old creep and we're supposed to just accept it?! This is getting out of control, folks. Like, we're living in a horror movie where the elderly are being targeted left and right.

And don't even get me started on this "he bumped into him earlier" excuse Are you kidding me? That's like saying "I'm sorry, I hit you first" when you're clearly at fault. It's all about accountability, people! If you commit a crime, own up to it.

And what's with the lack of updates on this case?! We deserve to know what's going on and how our justice system is handling these types of incidents. This is just a ticking time bomb waiting to happen... meanwhile, poor Dean Whetzel is still gone .

just can't believe this man pushed his 82 yr old neighbor down and now he's facing serious charges , what's going on in our world that we need to take a stand against elder abuse like this?!? , the west village has been seeing a lot of crime lately and it's getting out of hand, need some more community watch programs or something , hope justice is served for Dean Whetzel

You know, I've lived in this city for over 40 years and never thought I'd see the day where we'd have to deal with something like this . It's just heartbreaking that an old man like Dean Whetzel had to go through what he went through. And it's scary to think about how easily someone can get hurt by a push, especially when you're already vulnerable.

I've seen the West Village change over the years and it's not all bad news. There are still plenty of great restaurants, bars, and shops around here that make it feel like home. But we need to do more to look out for each other, especially our elderly neighbors who may not have the same level of protection as they used to.

I'm glad that Escoffier is being held accountable for his actions, but I wish there was more support for victims and their families. We need to make sure that our community is a safe place for everyone, no matter what age or background you are .

you know, this whole thing got me thinkin'... we gotta look out for our elders, ya know? they're vulnerable, just like kids. and yeah, accidents happen, but when it's a deliberate push, that's a whole different story. it's not okay to assume someone else is gonna fix the problem with their own two feet. we got a responsibility to look out for each other, especially those who can't defend themselves. and let this be a lesson to all of us... violence is never the answer, no matter what's goin' on in that head.

man... this is wild 79 year old dude goes out of his way to knock down another senior citizen because he thinks he was bumped into? it's just a classic example of how some people lose their cool and don't think about the consequences meanwhile, this incident highlights how serious elder abuse is becoming in NYC neighborhoods like the West Village. i'm all for holding ppl accountable for their actions, but sometimes u wonder if there's more to the story... was it just a random outburst or was there something more going on?

This is just crazy I mean, an 82-year-old dude dies after getting pushed by a 79-year-old guy and people are like "oh yeah this is no big deal" But what's even crazier is that it happened right outside a cafe where you'd expect people to be friendly and stuff. The fact that the police think this might be part of a bigger issue with elder abuse in the area just makes me sad I don't know, maybe they're doing more than the cops are let on, but it feels like something's not right

my thoughts on this whole thing is kinda disturbing... like how can someone push someone 82 and kill them ? i know we've all had those moments where we lose our cool but this dude took it way too far . and the excuse about bumping into each other doesn't really add up either . what's even more shocking is that this isn't an isolated incident in his neighborhood - there have been non-fatal assaults on elderly residents in the area lately, so like, it feels like a bigger problem than just one person's bad day . authorities are still investigating and gathering evidence, but man, can we just hope justice gets served ?

MAN, THIS IS TERRIFYING!!! THE IDEA OF AN 82-YEAR-OLD MAN BEING PUSHED TO THE GROUND AND KILLED BY A 79-YEAR-Old MAN OVER SOME LITTLE BUMPING INCIDENT IS JUST SAD I MEAN, WHAT KIND OF WORLD ARE WE LIVING IN NOW?! WE NEED TO DO MORE TO SUPPORT OUR ELDERS AND KEEP THEM SAFE!!! I HOPE THE FAMILY OF DEAN WHETZEL GETS JUSTICE AND THAT ESCOFFIER WIPES AWAY FOR HIS CRIME

I'm so shocked about this incident . I mean, 79 or whatever his age is, shouldn't he be able to take care of himself? I guess that's just not the case no more. It's just sad, you know? This young whippersnapper pushes an old dude and it ends up killing him... what's the world coming to, right? I remember when we were kids, we'd fight with sticks and stones, but at least we didn't hurt each other that bad. Nowadays it's like you can just knock someone out and they'll be dead in no time. It's crazy, man...

I'm so done with these forum platforms we use . Can't we just have a real conversation without all the drama and noise? I mean, come on, 79 vs 82? Who gets charged for that? It's like they're more worried about pushing someone to the ground than helping people in need.

And what's with the investigation being so slow? Like, hello, people are dying over here! We should be able to get updates faster than this. And don't even get me started on the eyewitness identification system. I'm no expert but it seems like a lot of work just for one person to identify someone.

And can we please talk about something else? This news is really disturbing and I don't want to think about it anymore . Can't we just have a nice, peaceful conversation without all the negativity and seriousness?

I don't usually comment but... I mean, 79 is pretty old, right? But you'd think that age would give someone some sort of respect or authority to not have to deal with crap like this on their own street . Like, what's the world coming to when we're worrying about seniors getting pushed around by elderly folks? It's just... it don't add up. And now there's gonna be a trial and all that drama... I hope justice is served for poor Dean Whetzel .

omg i was literally walking by that cafe on hudson street like 2 yrs ago and saw dean conover whetzel stumbling around he looked super lost lol but never thought it would end in tragedy anyway this whole thing is so wild like how does one person just push another to death? and the fact that his lawyer isn't saying anything is kinda sketchy too i mean i've had my fair share of run-ins with elderly folks in the west village, but never a fatal one we need more awareness about elder abuse pls

I'm so shocked by this news... like, what's going on with our society? A 79-year-old dude gets charged for killing an 82-year-old neighbor just because he bumped into him . I mean, we're living in a world where we gotta worry about our elderly people being hurt by the ones we trust the most. This West Village thing is getting out of hand... I've heard rumors of gentrification and all that jazz, but this just shows how desperate some people are to push others around .

And the fact that it took an eyewitness to catch this guy? Like, what's the deal with our streets right now? We need more community watch groups and stuff like that. It's just heartbreaking thinking about Dean Whetzel going through all that...