Another woman punched in the face on NYC street: NYPD

Mira Wassef
·2 min read
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MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) — Another woman was punched in the face in a random attack on a Manhattan street, making that the 13th incident in recent weeks, authorities said.

In the latest incident, a man came up from behind a 33-year-old woman and hit her in the face near Union Square Park at around 4:30 p.m. on March 20, according to the NYPD. The woman suffered minor injuries and declined treatment at the scene.

The suspect ran off after the incident and remained at large, as of Friday, police said.

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Six people have already been arrested and charged with assault for similar attacks, according to the latest data from the NYPD. One of the perpetrators, Lydia Weil, 40, was arrested for two separate incidents, police said.

Weil allegedly pressed a lit cigarette on a 51-year-old woman’s face on West 31st Street at around 12:15 p.m. on March 27, authorities said. The victim suffered burns to the neck and face.

Five days later, Weil allegedly randomly kicked a woman, 22, in the thigh as she was walking into the Moynihan train station, police said.

Weil pleaded not guilty during recent arraignments in a Manhattan court. Her attorney could not immediately be reached Friday.

Several women posted videos on TikTok saying they were punched in the head while walking in New York City.

Halley Kate, an influencer with 1.1 million followers on TikTok, recently posted a video explaining how she was randomly assaulted. In the video, she said the punch knocked her to the ground. Kate had a large bump on her head in the clip.

Skiboky Stora, 40, was arrested in connection to the attack. Stora allegedly hit Kate on the head and knocked her to the ground while she walked down West 16th Street in Chelsea, police said. As mentioned in Kate’s TikTok video, Stora was walking his dog during the attack, police said.

Authorities also said Stora has been accused of attacking other women in the past.

Kate’s posting prompted other women to come forward. Not all of the incidents that were posted to social media have been reported, police said.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

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