The 64-year-old was sitting solo outside the restaurant on West 58th Street and 9th Avenue. Then, a stranger walking by, without warning, picked up a heavy plastic chair and threw it at Buccino.
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"All of a sudden, I look up and a guy with a chair in his hand throwing it 90 MPH, like throwing a baseball at my head," said Buccino.
Buccino is now in a rehab center recovering from is injuries. The force of the blow shattered his forearm - he needed surgery, and he tells Eyewitness News he is still extremely uncomfortable.
"Basically my physical therapy is taking four napkins and crumbling them, that's it," said Buccino.
Police say the unprovoked assault unfolded September 9 around 10:30 p.m.
Buccino says he has never seen the suspect, who only said one word to him right before tossing the chair.
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"He said 'b****' and throw it and stole my phone," he said.
When the suspect picked up one of the chairs, Buccino was able to block his face. He was not in the head - had he, things would have ended much differently.
"If he hit my head, I would have died, I could not survive that," said Buccino.
Buccino has a long road to recovery and is convinced the suspect, who is still out there, will strike again.
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"To me it's as simple as 'we will not tolerate this, if you do this, you have to go to jail and be rehabilitated,' because when he left me, what did he do later that night?' adds Buccino.
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