New York: Actor Steve Buscemi was punched in the face in a random attack in Manhattan last week, his publicist said Sunday.
Buscemi, 66, was walking near the corner of Third Avenue and East 27th Street in the Kips Bay neighborhood Wednesday when the assailant — a stranger — approached and punched him in the face around 11:48 a.m., according to information released by the New York Police Department last week.
Police did not identify Buscemi as the victim, but his publicist confirmed Sunday that he was the man who had been attacked.
Buscemi was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was treated for bruising, swelling and bleeding in his left eye, police said.
“Steve Buscemi was assaulted in midtown Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city,” Buscemi’s publicist said in the statement. “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.”
There had been no arrests related to the attack as of Sunday, and the investigation was continuing, police said.
The attack comes after an assault this spring on actor Michael Stuhlbarg, who starred alongside Buscemi on the HBO show “Boardwalk Empire” and is starring on Broadway in the play “Patriots.”
Stuhlbarg was attacked while walking in Central Park in April by a man wielding a rock. Stuhlbarg chased the man, Xavier Israel, 27, out of the park, where he was taken into custody and charged with assault.
Stuhlbarg appeared in the first preview of “Patriots” the day after the attack.
This spring, several young female TikTok users posted video accounts of being randomly hit by a stranger on the streets of New York, sending a ripple of fear through the city at a time when anxieties about crime persist.
The assault on Buscemi was first reported by the New York Post on Sunday.
Buscemi, who was born in Brooklyn and was formerly a firefighter for the New York Fire Department, is also known for his roles in the HBO TV show “The Sopranos” and the 1996 movie “Fargo.” He won a prime time Emmy in 2016 for the television show “Park Bench with Steve Buscemi,” in which he interviewed celebrities on a park bench.