caught on camera

Stranger Socks 78-Year-Old Woman in Head in 2nd Random NYC Elderly Attack in Weeks

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Cops are looking for the man who randomly attacked a 78-year-old woman on a Brooklyn street earlier this month, the latest such unprovoked assault in the city.

The woman was walking along Broadway shortly after 5 p.m. June 10 when the stranger approached her and smashed her in the head with a closed fist before running off. Surveillance video shows the man jauntily near the woman as the two approach from opposite directions. Suddenly, he flips out his left arm and punches her in the face. The woman, stunned, stumbles to the side.

The man briefly turns around to face her and it appears some words are exchanged as the shocked woman holds a hand to her head, though it's not clear what was sad. The man then ran off.

The woman suffered "substantial pain," police say, but refused medical attention. Authorities released surveillance video of the attack (above). Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call 1-800-577-TIPS.

It's the latest such unprovoked attack on an elderly woman in the city in recent weeks. Earlier this month, another stranger walked up to a 92-year-old woman on a Manhattan street and punched her in the head. The impact caused the woman to fall to the ground, smacking her head into a fire hydrant as her cart fell on her.

That woman was treated at a hospital and later released. Police later arrested a man thought to be behind at least three other attacks in the city since February.

Copyright NBC New York
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