Judith Thomas was walking on Lenox Avenue near 118th Street on Easter Sunday afternoon when the man approached and suddenly struck her.
She was knocked to the ground and suffered a cut lip and a swollen face.
"My tooth went through my upper lip, and that hurts," she said. "I was on the way to meet my sister at a restaurant owned by friends of ours."
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Police are hoping surveillance video leads them to the suspect.
"He didn't say anything to me, he didn't try to grab my purse," she said. "It came out of nowhere...I was screaming because it hurt. He hit me hard."
Detectives spent Monday morning canvassing the area, looking for any clues that could lead them to the suspect.
Residents who live nearby said they were shocked and saddened to hear what happened.
"I don't understand why people do things to hurt other people that have nothing to do with them," Mike Zarate said.
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But Thomas, a petite woman who's still recovering from her injuries, refuses to be intimidated
"We can't let the psychos take over the city," she said. "I'll keep my eyes open and be aware of my surroundings."
Anyone with information in regard 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).
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