PATIENT DIES AFTER ALLEGED ‘SOCIAL DISTANCE’ DISPUTE

An 86-year-old woman died following a confrontation at a Brooklyn hospital on Saturday in an attack police say may have been motivated by a perceived “social distancing” dispute.

The elderly woman and her alleged attacker, Cassandra Lundy, 32, were both patients at Woodhull Medical Center, said New York Police Department spokesman Lt. Thomas Antonetti.

The patients were in the emergency room hallway about 2 p.m. when Lundy claimed the elderly woman got too close to her, according to police.

Lundy shoved the 86-year-old down to the ground, Antonetti said. The elderly patient hit her head on the floor, causing her to lose consciousness, he said. She died several hours later. Authorities have not yet released her name or the reasons either patient was in the hospital.

Antonetti said the “overriding belief” is that Lundy snapped because she didn’t think the victim was following “social distancing guidelines,” which he added is still under investigation.

So far, however, Lundy is not charged in relation to the victim’s death.