NAUGATUCK, Conn. — A reward of $1,500 is being offered by Naugatuck police for information leading to an arrest in the robbery and assault of an elderly man.
“I’m hoping that with the extra money they can apply to the reward, that somebody, something will come up," said Jack Hutt, the victim of the incident, which happened this past summer.
Naugatuck Police said this reward is being announced in collaboration with the Water-Oak Crime Stoppers to help find those responsible.
Police said the incident happened just before 6 p.m. on June 6th, 2023 at the Oak Terrace Apartments on Conrad Street That's when the 86-year-old said he was violently attacked by someone who slipped into the front door of his apartment. Hutt said the man had him in a choke hold and pulled him over the back of the couch. Eventually, Hutt said the person stole $900 from him and ran out.
“It’s almost like, I thought he knew that the money was in my right-hand pocket. Because he went right there for it," Hutt said.
Hutt said it happened 15 minutes after his twice-weekly aide left for the day. He has not worked with her since. To this day, he's still suffering from bruises on his head and a badly busted eye.
“I was black and blue, that’s when all of this broke out over here. And it hurt. It hurt like hell. It was a deep, deep bruise-type thing on the whole side of my head," Hutt said.
But, it wasn't the first time he said something like this had happened to him. Hutt said about a week before, someone broke into his apartment and attacked him in the middle of the night. But with his bad eyesight, he couldn't make out what that person looked like. Hutt said he woke up to someone fidgeting with his back door handle, and he warned them not to come in.
"The next thing I know, I was bluffing, they called my bluff, and the door swung open, and somebody came rushing through it," Hutt said.
That time, though, Hutt said he was able to fight the person off, who ran out shortly after the tussle.
“Then, I says, I could remember at the time, 'oh good I got a piece of him anyway!'" Hutt said.
He did not file a police report for that first attack. Now, though Hutt has a lot of questions, he's not living in fear.
“Faith and fear are not compatible. So, if I have faith, I have no fear," Hutt said.
Hutt does have faith that the police will find the person or people responsible.
Authorities are asking the community for information that could aid in the investigation.
The two numbers to call are listed below:
- Water-Oak Crime Stoppers: (860) 945-9940
- Naugatuck Police Confidential Tip Line: (203) 720-1010
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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