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MANHATTAN, New York ( WCBS ) -- An 87-year-old New Yorker said he successfully fought off two suspects who tried to steal his Rolex watch and rob his wife on the street.

Lawrence Schwartz said he and his wife, Joanna Cuccia, were walking into a senior center off East 23rd Street in Manhattan at around 11 a.m. Wednesday when one of the suspects stopped and asked them for directions.

"He said 'I want to go to a Walmart.' I said there are no Walmarts in Manhattan," Cuccia said.

Cuccia said the man asked her to speak with his wife, who was sitting nearby in a Jeep, and the wife started showing Cuccia jewelry before attempting to snatch Cuccia's own jewelry.

"She wouldn't let go. She scratched me," Cuccia said.

Boxing and self-defense training kicked

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