Authorities are looking for a man who randomly punched a woman in the face in Manhattan's Chelsea, the latest in a string of reported unprovoked attacks that have the borough on edge.
This case, which was reported by police Tuesday but happened March 20, marks at least the fifth such attack in the last few weeks. The NYPD isn't calling it a trend and won't say if the March 20 is linked to the other incidents.
News 4 has tracked at least five of them since March 20, including the newly reported one. In that case, a 23-year-old woman was walking on Avenue of the Americas around 10 a.m. when a stranger hit her in the face with a closed fist. She was taken to a hospital for treatment of a serious nose injury, while her attacker ran off.
The other stories have been similar -- all women, mostly in their 20s, attacked in broad daylight by a man who delivers a sucker-punch to the face. The NYPD says it has arrested three people in the various cases so far.
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"It’s so difficult to live in New York City right now," said Reina Rodriguez in Chelsea. "Personally, I am afraid to be in the streets."
The violence is part of a 10% increase in misdemeanor assaults in the city year over year, according to NYPD statistics.
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Police are reviewing surveillance video from the area of the March 20 attack, where the suspect ran from the area going south on 6th Avenue.
No arrests have been made and police are asking anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Editor's note: a previous version of the story stated the attack happened in the West Village. It happened in Chelsea, bordering the West Village.
