Police are searching for a man who attacked an unsuspecting victim from behind with a baseball bat in New York City on Tuesday.
Authorities say that a 47-year-old male was walking in front of 1770 Amsterdam Avenue in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood of Manhattan at approximately 8:06 a.m. before an unknown individual started to approach him from behind.
The individual can be seen on security footage waiting for a third person, walking in the opposite direction, to pass by before removing an orange baseball bat from his pants and swinging it at the 47-year-old’s head. The victim falls to the ground due to the impact of the blow.
The attacker initially walks away from the victim but then approaches him again. He appears to taunt and stomp on the 47-year-old before fleeing to parts unknown.
The victim was transported by EMS to NYC Health and Hospitals/Harlem and was reported to be in stable condition, police say.
Authorities describe the attacker as a male last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with “Nike” written on the front, gray sweatpants, and black sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), its website, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
Major crime in the Big Apple has increased by over 26 percent overall since last year, according to NYPD data. In the neighborhood where the attack occurred — the NYPD’s 30th police district — robbery is up by 24 percent, while felony assault is up 14.1 percent from last year.
NYPD data also reveals that the state’s “No Bail” law contributes to the city’s recent crime wave, where about 1-in-5 suspects arrested for burglary or theft were arrested again on a felony offense just 60 days after being released from jail under the law.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.