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Actor Steve Buscemi was punched in the eye by a random attacker while walking through New York City last week, his publicist and police sources confirmed the New York Post on Sunday (May 12).
Buscemi, 66, was walking through Kips Bay in Midtown Manhattan when he was approached and struck by the assailant, who is wanted in relation to the incident, which is the latest in a string of unprovoked assaults that have recently taken place across New York City's five boroughs. The actor was reportedly taken to Bellevue Hospital and treated for swelling to his face and left eye.
The assailant was reported to have fled the scene after punching Buscemi.
“Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city,” Buscemi’s publicist confirmed in a statement to the New York Post. “He is OK and appreciates everyone’s well wishes, though incredibly sad for everyone that this has happened to him while also walking the streets of New York.”
A worker in the area told the Post that they witnessed the attack in front of 369 Third Avenue at around 11:48 a.m. last Wednesday (May 8).
“I saw he was with a woman, and then through the corner of the window I saw him trip and fall backwards,” a worker in the area who witnessed part of the assault told The Post. “He right away got up and ran in the opposite direction. I didn’t see who hit him."
“It worries me for when we close because we close at 11 and it can get scary around that time,” said the woman, who requested to only be identified as 'Nat.'
The New York Police Department released a surveillance photo of the suspect who appeared to be a bearded Black male wearing a baseball hat, blue T-shirt and black sweatpants.
Buscemi, a former FDNY firefighter, is best known for roles in Fargo, Ghost World, Reservoir Dogs and Boardwalk Empire during an acting career spanning four decades.