Americans are seeing the kinds of crime that most expect in lawless, third-world countries, but the crimes are happening on the streets of U.S. cities. A woman identified only as Gloria not only saw it, she felt it.
Gloria, 81, lives in Manhattan. Speaking to a local news station she recounted how she considers herself lucky to still be alive after a random man punched her so hard in the face on September 13 she ended up hospitalized. Gloria still has bruises on her neck and face.
She said she walks her dog daily, and when she was out last Friday, the unidentified man took a huge swing and punched her in the face right in front of the building she lives in. Left with a concussion, Gloria says she remembers little about the assault, but that it’s “scary” that it happened right outside the front door of her apartment building.
Local news station FOX 5 got a hold of nearby surveillance video depicting Gloria on a walk with her dog on W. 66th St. A man in black clothing walks past her and appears to speak to her. Then he turns around, walks back toward Gloria, and hits her hard. The station did not air the full video, choosing to shield viewers from the full extent of the assault, but station staff say Gloria could be seen hitting her head on a building before collapsing onto the sidewalk.
The video continues, showing Gloria lying on the ground unconscious while her attacker walks away and Good Samaritans come over to help.
Gloria said she didn’t want to watch the recording of her own assault, preferring to be grateful she was not hurt worse, although she said “my neck was almost as fat as my face.”. She said the man could have had a knife, though she doesn’t want to dwell on it.
Despite the assault, Gloria has no intention of “hiding” in her apartment and says she’s going to get right back out on the street to walk her furry friend daily. The New York PD is investigating the attack.
This is, of course, not an isolated incident in New York City; there have been several other notable random attacks in what appears to be a growing trend in cities. Back in March several much younger women reported that strange men walked past them and landed a punch. One of them, TikTok user Olivia Brand, posted a video on March 17 claiming she had been “punched by some man on the sidewalk.”
