Jose Antonio Tur, a 99-year-old landlord from Manhattan, passed away just weeks after being violently robbed at gunpoint of $20,000 during a daytime heist, his devastated grandson disclosed on Wednesday, expressing outrage over the rise in crime in the city.
Jose Antonio Tur died on Wednesday while receiving hospice care following a stroke, as shared by his grandson, Jose Miguel Tur, to The Post.
The elderly landlord was accosted at his property on West 187th Street close to Audubon Avenue in Washington Heights around 10 a.m. on September 22. The masked assailant apparently monitored Tur’s activities and threatened him with a firearm, according to police reports.
A former ship merchant from Cuba, Antonio worked as a porter for eight years before acquiring his Washington Heights property in 1997, his grandson mentioned.
Upon discovering that his grandfather had been robbed, Miguel was filled with rage regarding the lawlessness plaguing New York City.
“Initially, it was sheer anger and disgust at the state of New York, how there seem to be no repercussions for those committing such crimes, and the utter lack of respect,” Miguel stated. “The extent of crime we see is unsettling, especially when it hits so close to home.”
“Clearly, the existing bail reform laws are ineffective,” he added with frustration.
Antonio fled Cuba to escape Fidel Castro’s communist rule and feared a similar fate for the U.S., as his grandson remembered.
He criticized New York as “the worst place for landlords.”
Antonio had previously faced an attack at another one of his buildings across the street shortly after the bail reforms were instituted in 2020.
During that incident, an intruder with an extensive criminal record attempted to burglarize the building, he recounted.
In the September robbery case, the suspect tricked the elderly owner into stepping outside to receive a package, forcefully pushing past him at the gate after asking to meet him around the side of the building, according to authorities.
The 99-year-old engaged in a struggle with the intruder, injuring his hand in the process, which suffered fractures.
The suspect persisted in breaking into the basement of the five-story, 30-unit structure, compelling Antonio at gunpoint to guide him to the office and gain access to the rent money stored within a cabinet.
The assailant escaped with a significant sum of cash but has reportedly been apprehended, according to Miguel.
Authorities have not yet verified the suspect’s arrest.
Since the incident, Miguel has written to multiple local elected officials, vehemently critiquing bail reform policies and calling for meaningful consequences to combat crime effectively.
He recalled how his grandfather devoted every moment of his life to working and nurturing his business.
“His resilience, finding solutions to challenges without fear, or losing hope, and continuously moving forward, were among my grandfather’s greatest attributes,” Miguel reminisced.
“He viewed money just as a means to progress. Until the end, he prioritized work over profit.”
