A 65-year-old man visiting New York from England was attacked Tuesday morning by a stranger in Brooklyn in what could seem to be a twist on the cold-hearted “knockout game,” officials said.
The victim, an Orthodox Jew, had just left a wedding reception and was on McDonald Ave. near 18th Ave. in Borough Park at 2:30 a.m. when the attacker ran up, grabbed him by the head and smashed his face into the concrete pavement.
The victim suffered a busted lip and a chipped tooth, officials said. He was treated at a local hospital, officials said.
The assailant, who said nothing during the attack, was still at large Tuesday afternoon.
News of the attack rattled local leaders.
“It is shocking and disturbing to hear about yet another apparent anti-Semitic assault in our community, especially after so many similar incidents over the past months,” City Councilman David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) said in a statement.
“Simply put, there is no place for this type of heinous behavior in our city, as nobody should be afraid to walk the streets of their community at any time of day or night.”
But police said Tuesday’s attack didn’t appear to be connected to the so-called knockout game because the victim wasn’t punched. Such attacks caused a frenzy across the U.S. late last year and caused at least three deaths.
