Actor Steve Buscemi is reportedly recovering after he was punched in the face in a random attack by a stranger in Manhattan and was briefly hospitalized.
The attack took place last week while Buscemi was out walking along Third Avenue in the Kips Bay neighborhood. The New York Post, the first news outlet to report news of the assault, relayed that the actor—best known for roles in Reservoir Dogs, Fargo, and HBO's Boardwalk Empire—"suffered swelling to his face and left eye and was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment."
Buscemi's publicist released the following statement:
“Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city. 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.”
The New York Police Department (NYPD) released surveillance photos of the alleged assailant. The pictures show a bearded man wearing a baseball cap, a blue T-shirt and black sweatpants.
You can see the photos below.
New York Police Department
A Brooklyn native who worked as a firefighter before pursuing an acting career, Buscemi is considered a hometown hero in New York City after joining his former fire company, Engine 55, to assist in the recovery effort after the World Trade Center terror attacks on September 11, 2001.
Many fans reacted with sadness and outrage at the news that the actor had been attacked.
Although crime rates in New York City have declined, Buscemi is not the only Hollywood figure to be attacked at a time when many New Yorkers share concerns about citywide safety after experiencing a spike in violent crime since the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March, actor Michael Stuhlbarg—best known for roles in A Serious Man, Call Me by Your Name, and Dopesick—was walking in Central Park when a man, later identified as 27-year-old Xavier Israel, threw a rock that hit Stuhlbarg in the back of the neck.
Israel was arrested shortly after and charged with assault. Stuhlbarg declined medical attention and still chose to perform in the first preview of his play Patriots on Broadway, receiving a standing ovation.
