Beloved UWS Doorman Attacked: Suspect Caught

A beloved Upper West Side doorman, Nicolate “George” Lica, 71, was viciously attacked while working at his 13-story apartment building, at 255 West 88th St. on the night of Sunday March 8, 2026. A GoFundMe has been launched to cover Lica’s substantial recovery expenses.

Although Lica’s Romanian family first asked that his name be kept private, they subsequently went public, including a New York Post interview. Photos of Lica’s battered face were so gruesome, the Post pixelated the worst parts.

Soon arrested for the attack, which occurred in the building’s lobby after Lica prevented an intruder from taking an elevator up, was 29-year-old Moshe Dardashty.

While Lica has recounted the assault, including being smashed with a metal lamp and getting his face stomped, details about Dardashty and his arrest have proven elusive. Despite repeated queries to NYPD, it’s unclear where Dardashty was arrested, except that it happened in the 20th Precinct.

According to his charging information, Dardashty was booked on two assault charges: Intent to Cause Serious Physical Injury and to Injure Victim 65 or Older, aka elder assault.

The indictment goes further, however, including attempted 1st Degree Murder; Strangulation; two burglarly counts; and another assault charge.

Bail was set at $50,000 and Dardashty was initially jailed. He subsequently made bail on March 14.

According to Department of Correction records, Dardashy is a white male with blonde hair and brown eyes, 5 foot 8 inches, 160 pounds.

Dardashty, whose attorney is listed Caroline Nicole Lowry of Legal Aid, is next scheduled to appear in court on April 16—for this case.

Dardashty has another case, however.

On March 4, Dardashty made another appearance in a building not his own. In this instance, NYPD promptly provided the details:

“There is a report on file for criminal trespass, within the confines of the Midtown North Precinct. It was reported to police that on Tuesday, March 4, 2026, at approximately 9:50 p.m., an individual entered 107 East 49th Street through the public entrance and proceeded to walk around the hotel. He was found sleeping inside a room that stated it was for authorized personnel only.”

Dardashty was arrested and charged that same day, giving his address as 268 W. 91st St. Dardashty is due to appear in Midtown Community Court on April 21.

Otherwise, Dardashty is a mystery. He has no apparent social media or other online presence. There are several other court cases where the name Moshe Dardashty surfaces including a debt collection case filed by American Express National Bank in Sherman Oaks, CA. There is also one in which a couple is suing him for a car accident in Brooklyn, but it could not be determined at press time if those cases pertain to the same named individual in the doorman assault.