(NewsReady.com) – Actor Steve Buscemi is an icon on the big screen. He’s also a Brooklyn native who walks around New York City like an average Joe. Recently, he was in midtown Manhattan when he was assaulted.
The 66-year-old actor’s publicist released a statement on May 12, announcing that Buscemi was the “victim of a random act of violence in the city.” Fortunately, he’s recovering and “appreciates everyone’s well wishes.”
According to reports, Buscemi was walking through Kips Bay on May 8 when someone walked up to him and punched him in the face. He suffered swelling to his left eye and face in the incident. The actor was taken to Bellevue Hospital to receive treatment. The assailant ran away after the attack and law enforcement is still looking for him.
The actor is popular in the city, not just because he’s famous but because he is also a former firefighter. After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack, he returned to the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) and helped search for survivors.
A witness to the attack told the New York Post that they saw the actor with a woman when suddenly he tripped and fell backward. Buscemi then stood up and “ran in the opposite direction,” but the witness didn’t see the assailant.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) released a surveillance photo of the alleged attacker. He appeared to be a black man with a grey beard. He was wearing a blue shirt, backpack, and baseball hat.
Buscemi is the second actor to be attacked in a random act of violence this year. On March 31, actor Michael Stuhlbarg was hit in the back of the neck with a rock while he was out for a run. He chased the suspect after the attack and they ran into law enforcement outside of the Russian Consulate. The officers arrested a homeless man, 27-year-old Xavier Israel, for the assault. The suspect had a police record that included assault and battery in 2022.
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