The New York Police Department is currently on the look for a man who attacked a two-year-old boy and slashed his face in an attack that happened in broad daylight in Manhattan.
According to the police statement, the perpetrator attacked the child around 9:30 in the morning on Wednesday around the 10th St. and Morningside Drive while the boy was being strolled around by a babysitter.
The authorities also stated that the child was a random target of the unprovoked attack. However, they are still unable to point out a possible motive.
According to The Epoch Times, after the attack, the boy sustained injuries that needed stitches. He was then brought to St. Lukes Hospital and was given the necessary medical attention.
Based on statements from the NYPD, the man approached the boy and his babysitter before he slashed the child's face just above his right eye. The suspect immediately fled the scene after the attack.
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NYPD released images of the perp
On Thursday, the cops released an image of the attacker which was captured by a surveillance camera in the are.
According to the New York Daily News, the authorities stated that the man stands about 5-foot-6 inches tall.
Based on the footage, during the attack, the man was wearing dark shorts, a white T-shirt, sneakers, and black socks. The suspect can also be seen as having black hair color.
The footage also showed how the man seemed friendly when he first approached the boy and the 22-year-old babysitter. The man who was a complete stranger seemed to want to play with the toddler as he bent down on the stroller, then, some witnesses stated that the sitter only looked away for a second when the man grabbed a pointed object and cut the boy's face.
ABC 7 News spoke to the boy's father who sad that his family especially his wife was horrified after the incident. He also stated that his son is currently under severe stress and still seemed nervous. The family chose to not be identified in order to protect their privacy.
Moreover, the boy's father stated that the babysitter immediately contacted the child's mother and 911 after the attack on the child happened.
At the moment, police are still looking for the attacker and have encouraged anyone who may have information about the assault to contact the Crime Stoppers Hotline of the NYPD at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). They are also urging people who might know the suspect to come forward.
Based on data from the NYPD, homicide rates all over the city of New York has risen by more than 21% in the first half of 2020. Cases of shootings have shot up by about 46 percent compared to the 2019 statistics.
Meanwhile, in recent days, the city has reported several random attacks on people, most of the targets were within the elderly demographic.
