Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi was punched in the face in a random attack on the streets of New York City. Buscemi, 66, was walking through Kips Bay last week when he was approached by an assailant who struck him in broad daylight – the latest in a series of unprovoked attacks in the five boroughs, police sources said.
Buscemi was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he received treatment for bruising, swelling, and bleeding around his left eye. Meanwhile, the assailant fled the scene and is on the run. Authorities have released a surveillance image of the suspected attacker, wearing a dark baseball hat, a blue T-shirt, black pants, and white sneakers.
Random Attack on Star Leaves Him Injured
"Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city," Buscemi's publicist said in a statement to The New York Post. "He is ok and appreciates everyone's well wishes, though incredibly sad for everyone that this has happened to while also walking the streets of New York."
Law enforcement officials said that the unprovoked attack occurred at approximately 11:48 a.m. on Wednesday, in front of 369 Third Avenue.
"I saw he was with a woman, and then through the corner of the window I saw him trip and fall backwards," a worker in the area who witnessed part of the assault told the outlet. "He right away got up and ran in the opposite direction. I didn't see who hit him.
"It worries me for when we close because we close at 11 and it can get scary around that time," said the woman, who asked to be identified only as Nat.
The actor, who previously served as an FDNY firefighter, boasts a movie career spanning four decades, with notable roles in acclaimed films such as "Fargo" and "Reservoir Dogs."
Buscemi gained widespread praise for portraying the corrupt Atlantic City politician Enoch "Nucky" Thompson in the popular HBO series "Boardwalk Empire."
Unsafe in NYC
The unprovoked attack on Buscemi marks the second instance of a cast member from the popular series falling victim to random street violence in New York City this year.
On March 31, actor Michael Stuhbarg, known for his portrayal of gangster Arnold Rothstein on the show, was jogging on the Upper East Side when he was hit in the back of the neck with a rock.
The NYPD later arrested Xavier Israel, 27, a disturbed homeless person, in connection with the assault, which occurred around 7:45 p.m. near East 90th Street and East Drive. Israel had previously been arrested for assault and robbery in 2022.
Buscemi is widely admired in his hometown of New York, famously responding to the World Trade Center site after the 9/11 attacks to support his former fire company, Engine 55.
Buscemi was one of New York's Bravest in the 1980s. In 2021, he delighted children on Halloween by dressing up as a character he portrayed in the popular series "30 Rock," distributing candy to them from a stoop in Park Slope.
