Police are searching for a group of men allegedly behind a savage attack on a homeless man in Manhattan, bashing him in the head with a fire extinguisher after finding him asleep on the sidewalk.
The group of men were walking around midtown around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4, when they started punching and kicking the man sleeping on a sidewalk on Broadway near West 37th Street, according to police.
The brutal beatdown continued as the suspects picked up a fire extinguisher and smashed the victim over the head with it repeatedly.
Police said the group ran down Broadway immediately after the ambush attack. Those in the area said it's typically a pretty busy spot, even during late-night hours.
The defenseless victim was left clinging to life from his injuries suffered in the attack. The 66-year-old was said to be in serious condition while recovering at the hospital.
The suspect are believed to be in their late teens or early twenties, according to police. Motive for the attack was not immediately clear, and police were not sure if the suspects targeted the homeless purely for sport.
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"I know I was here for a fact that night...they had absolutely no reason to do that, man," said William Malave, another homeless man who told NBC New York he mostly stays in the same part of midtown. He said he has seen some guys harassing people in the area.
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"It’s sad because they look like young guys, throwing their lives away," Malave said.
Police released photos of the suspects, showing them dressed in black.
An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the incident or the suspects is asked to come forward.
