Steve Buscemi is beaten in a random attack in Manhattan

New York: Actor Steve Buscemi was punched in the face in a random attack in Manhattan last week, his publicist said Sunday.

Buscemi, 66, was walking near the corner of Third Avenue and East 27th Street in the Kips Bay neighborhood on Wednesday when the attacker – a stranger – came up to him around 11:48 a.m. and punched him in the face, according to the New York revealed information released to police last week.

Police did not identify Buscemi as the victim, but his publicist confirmed Sunday that he was the man who was attacked.

Buscemi was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was treated for bruising, swelling and bleeding in his left eye, police said.

“Steve Buscemi was attacked in Midtown Manhattan, another victim of random violence in the city,” Buscemi’s publicist said in the statement. “He is doing well and appreciates everyone’s well wishes, although it is incredibly sad for everyone that this happened while he was walking the streets of New York at the same time.”

As of Sunday, there had been no arrests in connection with the attack and the investigation was ongoing, police said.

The attack comes after an attack this spring on actor Michael Stuhlbarg, who starred opposite Buscemi in the HBO show “Boardwalk Empire” and can be seen on Broadway in the play “Patriots.”

Stuhlbarg was attacked by a man wielding a rock while walking in Central Park in April. Stuhlbarg chased the man, Xavier Israel, 27, out of the park, where he was taken into custody and charged with assault.

Stuhlbarg appeared in the first preview of “Patriots” the day after the attack.

This spring, several young TikTok users posted video accounts of being randomly approached by a stranger on the streets of New York, sparking a wave of fear in the city at a time when fears about crime persist.

The attack on Buscemi was first reported by the New York Post on Sunday.

Buscemi, who was born in Brooklyn and was a former firefighter with the New York City Fire Department, is also known for his roles in the HBO TV show “The Sopranos” and the 1996 film “Fargo.” In 2016, he won a prime-time Emmy for the television show “Park Bench with Steve Buscemi,” in which he interviewed celebrities on a park bench.