Man beaten in vicious unprovoked attack in East Harlem

EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- A 68-year-old man was beaten in what eyewitnesses are calling an unprovoked attack in East Harlem Friday afternoon, and it could have been a lot worse if not for a good Samaritan.

The incident happened in broad daylight on 117th Street and Lexington Avenue around 3 p.m.

The victim was walking down the street when another man approached him and kicked him in the chest, causing him to fall and hit his head on the pavement.

He was bleeding from his head and was transported to a local hospital.

The suspect fled the scene.

Witnesses said the assault was unprovoked and vicious.

"He just fell back, hard," Walter Velasquez said. "You could hear the thump, thump."

Velasquez said it came out of nowhere.

"Without a word being said, he just turned, hit him in his chest or his neck area, just falls back back, and I called 911," he said. "He just fled. I hope it's not the kicking game or the punching game, because there were no words."

The victim was bleeding profusely from his head, and Valesquez came to his aid.

"He snuffed him and just ran off," another witness said. "A good Samaritan came up and stopped the bleeding. There was a hole where it was pouring out of, and he put his hand there to stop it. And honestly, he would have died if that guy didn't come up and put his hand there and stop the bleeding."

The victim is hospitalized in serious condition.

Police believe the suspect may have fled on the subway. Anyone with information is urged to contact police.