Watch CBS News

Police: 68-Year-Old Woman Sucker Punched Outside Her Own Home

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The NYPD is searching for a suspect in what it says is the second random attack in the city in less than a week.

This time, officers say a man sucker-punched a woman standing outside her home in Harlem.

Police say the attack was completely unprovoked.

The woman was leaning against a wall smoking a cigarette when a man walked up and clocked her in the head.

It came out of the blue. No words were ever exchanged.

The victim is 68. She was holding a cane and just fell over.

The attack happened around 5 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12 on 137th Street and Adam Clayton Boulevard.

"That's crazy because I come home all times of the night, coming home from work, around this time of morning," Melody Jones, who lives nearby, told CBS2. "That's crazy, never heard of it."

"Unsafe, unsafe in my own neighborhood, very unsafe. We have no means to protect ourselves," another neighbor, Julia Crum, said.

The victim had to be taken to the hospital for pain and cuts to her ear.

This was the second random attack to happen in a week in Manhattan.

Last Thursday, near Lincoln Center, a 57-year-old woman was also sucker-punched as thieves tried to steal her purse.

Police are looking for four people connected to that case.

Anyone with information about either attack is asked to call NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via the Crime Stoppers website, by Tweeting @NYPDTips or by texting a tip to 274637.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.