The NYPD is investigating what it believes to be another random attack on a New Yorker — only the victim in this case wasn’t any random New Yorker. It was actor Steve Buscemi, who was punched while on the street in Kips Bay. NBC New York’s Gus Rosendale reports.
A second "Boardwalk Empire" actor has been injured in what police sources have described as a random attack in Manhattan.
Steve Buscemi, 66, was in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan on Wednesday when a stranger came up and walloped the actor across the face, that's according to two NYPD sources. They said Buscemi had been leaning up against a wall around 12 p.m., texting on his phone, at the time of the attack.
Medics responded to 3rd Avenue and East 28th Street, where they picked up Buscemi and took him to Bellevue Hospital. Police said the actor was treated for bruising, swelling, and bleeding to his left eye as a result of the seemingly random attack.
The attacker has not yet been identified, but the NYPD released surveillance images of the alleged suspect in hopes of tracking him down.
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“Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city," the actor's publicist said in a statement to NBC News. "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 NY.”
Buscemi, a former FDNY firefighter, is known for his roles in the films "Fargo" and "Reservoir Dogs," or the recent TV series "Miracle Workers." He was last seen on screen in the final season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," which ended its 12 season run in April.
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Buscemi is the second actor from the popular HBO television show "Boardwalk Empire" attacked this spring. Michael Stuhlbarg was struck in the head with a rock while walking near Central Park on March 31.
A homeless man, later identified as 27-year-old Xavier Israel, was taken into custody in connection with that incident; he faces assault and harassment charges. Israel is allegedly the same person who attacked a good Samaritan who gave him a coat in Manhattan more than two years ago.
Stuhlbarg is currently acting in "Patriots" on Broadway.
