The endearingly off-beat film and TV actor Steve Buscemi was randomly attacked in New York City - in broad daylight.
The Boardwalk Empire star, known for dramatic roles as well as comedic cameos in movies like The Wedding Singer, was sucker punched while taking an afternoon stroll through Manhattan.
The shocking attack is the latest example of unprovoked violence in Democrat-run New York. The assailant is still at large.
The Reservoir Dogs actor was treated at Bellevue Hospital with swelling in one side of his face. A representative for Buscemi said he is doing "ok" but is sad for the city.
“Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city,” Buscemi’s publicist said 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 while also walking the streets of New York.”
The 66-year-old Brooklyn native was struck before noon last Wednesday while walking through Kips Bay, a Manhattan neighborhood on the East River.
“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 told the Post. “He right away got up and ran in the opposite direction. I didn’t see who hit him."
New York City police released surveillance images of the suspect, a man "with dark complexion in a dark colored baseball style cap, blue t shirt, black pants, white sneakers, and carrying a bookbag."
“At this time are no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing,” police said.
NYPD said Buscemi was brought to the hospital in "stable condition for treatment regarding bruising, swelling, and bleeding to his left eye."
Buscemi isn't the first Boardwalk Empire actor to be attacked at random recently. In March, Michael Stuhlbarg was struck in the back of the head with a rock by a 27-year-old homeless man with a criminal history, Xavier Israel.
Stuhlbarg gave chase, and the suspect was taken into custody.
Crime has become a major concern for Americans under President Joe Biden, although Democrats have dismissed crime fears as exaggerated. President Trump, who is currently on trial in New York for "hush money," has accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of ignoring street crime to focus on political retribution.
