The latest on Steve Buscemi's street attack in New York

Actor Steve Buscemi has been attacked on a Manhattan street in broad daylight. He had to go to the hospital with minor injuries. Strikingly, it's the second time in two months this has happened to an actor from the series 'Boardwalk Empire' in New York.

Buscemi was walking in Midtown on Wednesday, May 8 around noon when a man passing by punched him in the face. He suffered bruises, swelling, and bleeding to his left eye, BBC reports.

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According to the actor's publicist, the attack was a "random act of violence." There was no indication as to the motive of the assault.

A witness told the New York Post that he saw the actor seemingly "trip and fall backwards" due to the blow, before getting up and running away.

Police got an emergency call about a 66-year-old man getting punched in the face on Third Street in Midtown, Manhattan. They managed to get a profile and video images of the suspected assailant, which they spread to the media in search of the culprit.

Image: NYPD

The actor's publisher sent out a statement, cited by BBC, that said: "Steve Buscemi was... another victim of a random act of violence in the city. He is OK and appreciates everyone's well wishes, though incredibly sad for everyone that this has happened to while also walking the streets of New York."

Using the words 'another' and 'also,' the publicist emphasized that it was not the first time someone was punched on the streets of Manhattan recently. As the Daily Mail reports, there has been "a string of assaults" in New York in the past months.

"These random punching attacks in New York City appeared to be part of a disturbing trend called the knockout game - where strangers punch random strangers in New York City with the intent of 'punching them unconscious,'" the paper added.

Steve Buscemi, a former Brooklyn firefighter and then an accomplished actor, won a Golden Globe for his leading role as a corrupt politician in Atlantic City in the series 'Boardwalk Empire.'

Image: HBO

He's also known for cult classics 'Reservoir Dogs' (1992), 'Fargo' (1996 - image), and 'The Big Lebowski' (1998).

Weeks before the attack on Steve Buscemi, on March 31, fellow 'Boardwalk Empire' actor Michael Stuhlbarg fell victim to a similar attack in New York City.

In the case of Stuhlbarg, who played the gangster Arnold Rothstein in 'Boardwalk Empire,' the assailant was caught. The actor was jogging in Central Park when a homeless man threw a rock at him, hitting him in the back of the neck.

Stuhlberg, 55 years old, went after the man and chased him down East 91st Street, where he would be apprehended by the police. Though the actor had "minor injuries," the Daily Mail reports, he said he didn't need medical treatment and went home.

Image: Michael Stuhbarg is also known for his role of pharmacy mogul Richard Sackler in the Disney+ series 'Dopesick'.

After news broke of Buscemi's attack, fans reacted with outrage at the New York police for the series of assaults on its streets. They say the Big Apple is 'out of control' and 'not safe'. One of them wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "New York, get your s*** together."

The reactions to Steve Buscemi getting punched also showed how popular the actor is. Fans on X call him "a king" and a "national treasure." Among them is actor Michael Rapaport, who said Buscemi was a "hero of mine" as a "former firefighter who worked onsite 9/11, great artist, and easily one of the kindest and most generous people you could meet."

One fan went as far as to say: "Has Goodman been called in? This calls for some Walter," referring to John Goodman's character in 'The Big Lebowski' - a rough Vietnam veteran who hangs out in a bowling alley with the two other protagonists, played by Jeff Bridges and Steve Buscemi.

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