A woman working for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been randomly attacked in the street by a stranger who crawled behind her and hit her on the head with a stone.
The 51-year-old executive, identified as Lisa Cavanaugh, was attacked from behind on Thursday afternoon in Midtown Manhattan on Third Avenue between 47th and 48th Street.
The attack took place in broad daylight around 2 p.m., near Senator Chuck Schumer’s office in Midtown.
Cavanaugh works as a recruitment and appointment officer for Governor Cuomo.
Lisa Cavanaugh, was attacked from behind in Midtown on Third Avenue between 47th and 48th Street after throwing a brick at her walking down the street on Thursday
This man is wanted in connection with an attack on a woman who was hit with a brick in the head on Thursday afternoon as she walked past Grand Central Terminal
The woman, 51, was hit with a stone near Third Avenue and East 48th Street at around 2:15 PM
The suspect did not say anything before or after the attack. The stone can be seen on the left of the ground
Police say no words were exchanged between the couple before the unprovoked attack. The suspect snuck after her, according to the Daily News.
The victim was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Cavanaugh remained conscious but required stitches at Bellevue Hospital to sew a cut on her head.
Police say they are continuing to look for a suspect. No arrests have been made.
The random attack comes amid an increase in crime in New York City, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest crime report shows that although the attacks were 5.2 percent lower in November than in November 2019, the number of shootings and murders is on the rise.
The stone was hefty and aimed at the woman, a staff member of Governor Andrew Cuomo
The area where the attack took place was taped while police investigated the crime
The man fled from the scene. Officers started looking for him in the area and at the crossing point
The attack took place in the middle of the day in what is normally a busy part of the city
Citywide shooting incidents during the first 11 months of 2020 have risen to levels unseen in years, the NYPD said.
Last month, 28 people were murdered in the five boroughs – five more than in November last year.
This year, the number of murder victims in New York City is up 38.4 percent compared to last year.
Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters during his briefing at City Hall earlier this month that the rise in violent crime this year could be pinned down to an “ absolutely perfect storm ” that hit New York this year.
Crime rates have soared in New York City for the past 11 months amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak that has taken its toll and police. While the attacks were 5.2 percent lower in November than in November 2019, shootings and murders are on the rise
You cannot combine a massive health crisis, tens of thousands of people die, hospitals are overwhelmed, economy is shut down, schools are closed, houses of worship are closed, society does not have its normal berths all at once, a social justice crisis … ‘said the mayor.
“Come on, this isn’t like anything we’ve seen in our history and I don’t believe we’re going to see anything nice in our lives.”
Dermot Shea, commissioner of the New York Police Department, blames the state’s new bailout reform measure.
New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea says city is on track to set 14-year record for most gun violence incidents in one year
Top New York agent Shea told NY1: “We have made a staggering number of gun arrests, taking guns off the streets of criminals, almost always without firing a shot.”
Shea added, “But if you look three days later, four days later, those individuals are back on the street and are committing more gun violence.”
Shea claimed that progressive policies encouraging criminal justice reform make the city more dangerous.
‘Until we achieve that realization as a society – is this what we want?’ he said.
“It’s good to have philosophical discussions about ‘end mass incarceration’ and ‘end incarceration’, but you don’t want to do it by turning the innocent public in prisons into their own apartments and houses.