Wouldn't You Want To Mug Her?

When we first heard the story about Catherine Jones, the mother who was robbed at gunpoint in Central Park last week, we thought it sounded pretty hinky. A woman pushing her baby in a stroller near the bandshell on the first warm day of the year is approached by a man who holds a gun to the kid's head, demands the woman's rings, then runs away. With no witnesses? No cash stolen? C'mon-this woman lost (or left) her rings somewhere and needed an excuse. Even the cops seemed a bit suspicious after a massive search uncovered nothing and Jones was unable to recognize any mugshots.

After reading several newspaper accounts, however, we changed our minds. Yeah, this probably really happened, we decided-and we're glad it did. Christ, if given the opportunity, we'd have probably mugged the pampered bubblehead ourselves. Here are a few choice quotes.

Concerning her initial awareness that something was wrong: "You know, you're a New Yorker-you have 'Spidey sense.'"

Concerning her reaction to being robbed: "I couldn't believe it. Why would he do that?"

Concerning what it all means in the end: "How totally crazy is it? I was born and raised in New York and I've never been mugged. And then I got robbed in broad daylight in Central Park!"

Much was also made of the rings themselves-a "beautiful" ring from Tiffany's and a "big, flashy, fake" one from Bloomingdale's. Add to that the fact that she's the daughter of embittered Fox 5 commentator Christopher Jones (which also explains the Post's full-court press), and you almost start to wish the mugger had put an end to the whole evil bloodline right then and there.