Ernie Aimone, an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran, was delivering pizzas in Chicago when he was approached from behind and assaulted. “They said give me the keys, give me the keys,” he recalled. “And they sucker punched me from behind. Hit me in the face. I was afraid for my life.” The teens stole his car and crashed it after a brief police chase.
The community responded with an outpouring of support. A GoFundMe page for Arimone raised more than $61,000. Donations also poured in at Joe’s on Higgins, where Aimone has been an employee for the past 40 years. “People are sending checks in the mail,” said Frank Demonte, the owner. “It’s pretty overwhelming, the support.”
The donations enabled Aimone to purchase a brand-new Volkswagen Tiguan. “You hear so much in the news about our city,” said Dan Brasil of City Volkswagen. “It’s really nice to see how our city can come together.”
Aimone expressed his gratitude for the support. “I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t able to deliver pizzas,” he said. The dealership has also pledged to service Aimone’s new car for life.
