Police are seeking support after 53-year-old taxi driver Michael Shelonchik was beaten and robbed of his Star of David necklace in Coney Island Tuesday evening and was later pronounced dead at Maimonides Medical Center.
WANTED-ROBBERY: 01/21/25 @NYPD60Pct in front of 532 Neptune Ave, a 53-yr-old victim was a passenger in the rear of a vehicle when two unidentified individuals opened the door & assaulted him. The individuals then forcibly removed the victim’s chain from his neck & fled on foot. pic.twitter.com/zEbehbyofv
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) January 23, 2025
Shelonchik was stopped at an intersection when two attackers entered the backseat of his car and began beating him, eventually taking his necklace. The attackers left the father–of-two unconscious in the backseat.
Details of the necklace
Shelonchik’s brother told Eyewitness News the necklace was “like [what] the rappers wear but had a Jewish star on it."
"And the Jewish star was all diamond-filled so that must have drew the attention," he said.
The victim's brother added that the necklace was likely worth less than $50, as it was costume jewelry.
Outrage among taxi drivers
The incident has since caused outrage among the city's cars-for-hire drivers, who are demanding that legislation be changed to enable them to lock their back doors.
The victim's sister-in-law, Maria Shelonchik, created a fundraiser to support the family as Shelonchik was their only provider. The family has raised more than half of their $30,000 goal.
“I am starting this fund on behalf of my beloved brother-in-law, Michael Shelonchik," she wrote, adding that he died only two days after turning 53. "He was senselessly beaten for his chain necklace, which led to his untimely death.”
“His two daughters, Taylor and Lexi, and wife, Jennifer, have been left heartbroken and inconsolable. He was their sole provider," she added. "We hate to resort to these measures, but they need all the help they can get. Bills need to be paid, and we all know how expensive funeral arrangements are, including the headstone. Any excess money will be used to help them survive during these tragic and difficult times."
The victim's daughter, Taylor, also spoke to The New York Post about the loss of her father.
“I’m 27 years old, and the thought of moving out scared me because it’s like I can’t be without him,” Taylor said. “We do everything together. We eat together every meal, we go grocery shopping together, we go to doctors’ appointments together, we do everything as a unit.”
“I am going to miss him more than…..this is indescribable,” she added. “I was just saying to my grandma. I don’t know how to live without him. He’s my life. He taught me everything I know.”
“I speak the way I speak because of him. I walk the way I walk because of him. I talk the way I talk because of him, and it’s like somebody took my crutches from beneath me, and I’m just left with broken legs, and I have to learn how to walk.”