A perpetrator wearing a “Lilo & Stitch” sweatshirt is being sought for assaulting a stranger near Union Square by punching her in the face, as part of a series of unprovoked attacks on women, primarily in Lower Manhattan.
The victim, a 33-year-old woman, was walking on Union Square East near East 16th Street around 4:30 p.m. on March 20 when the assailant came up from behind and struck her in the face, according to the police.
After the attack, he fled north on Park Avenue, the authorities stated.
The woman declined medical attention for minor injuries at the scene.
A surveillance image released by the NYPD on Friday shows the suspected attacker in a blue hoodie featuring the character Stitch from the Disney film “Lilo & Stitch.”
Although the NYPD stated that this senseless act does not seem to be part of a pattern, it coincides with a rise in reports of women being randomly assaulted in New York City.
Just prior to this incident, a man punched a woman outside a McDonald’s in Union Square after stumbling out, the police reported.
In that case, Ashley Cruz, 23, was walking on Sixth Avenue near West 14th Street around 10 a.m. on March 20 when the assailant emerged from the fast-food establishment and punched her without warning, according to the authorities.
“Nothing was said” before the man struck her in the face with an open fist, Cruz told The Post at her Brooklyn residence on Wednesday night.
“It all happened so quickly, and I was in shock,” she said of the assault, which has made her reevaluate how to feel secure in the place she calls home.
Other recent victims include Halley Kate, a TikTok influencer with 1.1 million followers, who shared a video last week detailing a brutal assault that caused her to lose consciousness.
Skiboky Stora, 40, a repeat offender with a lengthy criminal record, was arrested in connection with the attack.
In another random assault last week, Dulche Pichardo, a 57-year-old school bus aide from Brooklyn, was punched by an unstable man while walking home from work in Crown Heights, resulting in a broken jaw and several missing teeth, the police said.
Franz Jeudy, 33, who has a history of similar sucker-punch attacks and mental health issues, faces misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault, attempted assault, and harassment in connection with the incident, as per a criminal complaint.
Despite the severity of the victim’s injuries, Jeudy was released under supervision by a Brooklyn judge as the offenses do not qualify for bail.
“I don’t believe this is related to social media TikTok in any way,” stated NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny regarding the recent string of assaults.
“You know, these incidents occur. Assaults happen all the time. We investigate each one. Most of them have been concentrated in Manhattan South. We haven’t observed them elsewhere,” he added.
“The only explanation I can think of is that more people are reporting them, and I encourage that.”
