What to Know
- Two men were talking on a street in the Bronx early Sunday, when one of them suddenly started wailing on the other, police say
- The beating in University Heights was all caught on camera and the victim was beaten so badly he is in critical condition, officials say
- No arrests have been made; witnesses are urged to call investigators with tips
Authorities have identified the stranger wanted for allegedly beating a 38-year-old man into a coma after a casual conversation on a city street as a 22-year-old man named Nilson Castillo, police said Thursday.
Cops say Castillo was the younger man in the red coat seen in surveillance video talking to the victim on West 183rd Street in University Heights. The video, captured around 3 a.m. Sunday, allegedly shows Castillo chatting up the other man, then suddenly start punching him in the face.
The video shows the vicious attack continuing even when the victim drops to the ground and then again while he is lying on the sidewalk.
The suspect robbed the victim before fleeing the area, police said.
Basheer Alabdi, who works at a bodega up the block, saw the victim lying on the ground after the attack. He said the man "looked like he was dead."
"I was scared, I called 911 right away," he said.
Alabdi said he saw both men in the bodega minutes before the attack. He said the victim appeared drunk, and the attacker followed him out.
The victim was taken to an area hospital, where was is in critical condition Tuesday, officials said. There was no immediate update on his condition Thursday.
Witnesses are urged to call investigators with tips.
