Exclusive video obtained by The Post shows the moment just before a female executive of Governor Andrew Cuomo was punched in the head by a homeless man in broad daylight in Manhattan.
The chilling footage shows the man first sneaking behind unsuspecting 51-year-old staffer Lisa Cavanaugh as she strolls down Third Avenue near East 48th Street at around 2:15 p.m. Christmas Eve.
At one point, the suspect, identified by police as Christopher Guzman, 28, appears to catch up with Cavanaugh and almost walk next to her for a second – while carrying a large cinder block.
The attacker then falls behind Cavanaugh again before lifting the piece of concrete above his head and suddenly rushing towards her out of nowhere, punching her in the head and temporarily knocking her out.
Cuomo’s staffer, who helps with recruitment and appointments for the governor’s office, needed stitches to close the 2-inch deep wound on her head. She sustained non-life-threatening injuries, sources said.
Guzman – who told police he lives in a homeless shelter on West 35th Street in Manhattan – has since been arrested and charged with second-degree assault in the gruesome attack.
Cavanaugh is said to have walked home from work at the time of the attack, which took place for a construction project. Cuomo’s Manhattan office is about six blocks from the scene.