Police searching for suspect who brutally attacked man in Bronx pizzeria
MOTT HAVEN, Bronx (WABC) -- A man is recovering from eye surgery after he was randomly assaulted while sitting at his usual pizzeria in the South Bronx.
The man, who did not want to be identified, suffered a blood shot eye, a torn retina and a fractured eye socket.
He's already been through one surgery, with more likely to come all after one hard punch on October 6 at the Rays Pizza on East 138th Street.
It's a place the victim had been going to without incident for 18 years and he sat down with Eyewitness News to show the surveillance video and the man he says caused his injuries.
"It felt like a nightmare, it was like surreal," the victim said.
The 59-year-old says it started when the suspect in the red jacket began taunting him, saying "You ain't a white man, you a white boy."
The suspect even sat down at the same table as his target. Trying to avoid a confrontation, the victim quickly moved and when the belligerent man's rants continued, it was time to leave.
"As I get up, he gets up," the victim said.
It was not a good sign, but the victim, hoping it was harmless, walked over to the garbage without saying a word, and to a threatening gesture.
"As I go around him, he smacks me in the face with his hand," the victim said.
That's the moment the victim had enough and with a coffee in his hand, he threw it right at the attacker.
"I throw my coffee at him and in a blink of an eye, like Mike Tyson, he just punched me in my face," the victim said.
The shock set in as his vision blurred and nose bled and after more hateful words, his assailant took off, taking away with him a sense of his peace. "This makes me want to just look over my shoulder all the time now," the victim said.
Police are still on the lookout for his attacker.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
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