An 82-year-old man died weeks after he accidentally bumped into an elderly neighbor who violently shoved him to the ground during a Manhattan stroll, cops and sources said Thursday.
Dana Escoffier, 79, allegedly threw Dean Conover Whetzel onto a West Village sidewalk, leading him to hit his head during an argument after the pair mistakenly walked into one another around 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, according to cops and sources.
“I pushed him because he bumped into me,” Escoffier allegedly blurted out in front of a witness on Hudson Street near West 11th Street before he fled the scene, prosecutors said.
Dean Conover Whetzel, 82, was killed after a neighbor shoved him in the West Village. Christopher Sadowski
The eagle-eyed witness then followed the enraged septuagenarian and pointed him out to police, a criminal complaint alleges.
The victim — who was found unconscious by cops with a swollen right eye and laceration to the back of the head — was rushed to NYC Health/Hospitals/Bellevue in critical condition.
He succumbed to his injuries three weeks later. The medical examiner’s office ruled it a homicide on Nov. 6, the NYPD said Monday.
The two senior citizens were strangers and lived around the corner from one another, police said.
Dean Conover Whetzel, 82, died three weeks after he was allegedly shoved by Dana Escoffier. Christopher Sadowski
Escoffier was charged with assault and aggravated harassment in October before being released.
It’s unclear if he will face additional charges.
He is due back in court on Dec. 4th.
The Post was unable to reach Escoffier Tuesday night.