Paolo Rech, 42, was walking on Madison Ave when a woman swung a knife at him out of nowhere and cut his right hand.
"I just passed next to her and she just turned around quickly and stabbed me," said Rech.
Rech spoke with Eyewitness News hours after the unprovoked attack. He was sightseeing late Saturday morning when he walked by the woman who he says was blankly staring at a Wi-Fi kiosk as if in a trance, before lunging at him with a knife.
"I was shocked, so I just looked and I saw that she was looking back at the sign completely lost in her mind and I said 'okay, let's just walk away,'" Rech said.
Rech was in town from Italy - he is a computer science professor who is preparing to speak at NYU this week.
The attack is vaguely similar to another incident when a Danish tourist was slashed in the face on the Upper West Side on Wednesday morning. 25-year-old Joshua Zinberg was charged with attempted murder and assault.
New Yorkers know such a trend cannot continue at the peak of holiday tourism, but Rech says the attack has not changed his perception of New York City.
"I love New York City - there's nothing that can change that," he adds.
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