Video: Man on skateboard sucker punches senior citizen in New Jersey
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- A man riding a skateboard punched a senior citizen who was walking on the sidewalk in a seemingly random attack in Newark.
Police are on the hunt for the suspect and are hoping surveillance video and photos will lead to an arrest.
It happened around 10 a.m. Friday on Ferry Street near Merchant Street.
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The video shows the 73-year-old man man walking down the sidewalk with his wife, and the suspect approaches from behind on the skateboard.
He then punches the man in the side of the head, picks something up off the ground as a passerby attempts to help the victim, and runs from the scene.
Raw video:
The victim was knocked unconscious and was transported to University Hospital for treatment.
His daughter spoke to Eyewitness News but did not want to be identified. She rushed to the scene and feared the worst.
"This was my father, but it could be somebody else," she said. "Could be somebody else, and we have to do something to stop this crime because we cannot live like this."
She says her parents are too afraid to go outside.
"You know, in this area, we think it's safe, but it's not," she said. "They don't want to leave the house anymore. They're so scared."
Her father is home from the hospital but has no recollection of the brutal assault.
"When he woke up, he just kept asking what happened to him," she said. "Because he doesn't remember anything what happened."
Her father and mother walk this street way all the time and have lived peacefully in the Ironbound neighborhood for 30 years.
"I feel sick, very sick, very sad, and I don't know what do to, what to say, because," their daughter said, trailing off in tears.
Her father had just turned 73 the day before the attack, and all of his feelings about safety have been shattered.
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The suspect was wearing a black jacket, red hooded sweater, beige pants and red sneakers.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Division's 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477).
Anonymous tips may also be made using the Police Division's website at NPD.newarkpublicsafety.org or through the agency's Smartphone App on Apple's App Store or Google Play. Search Newark Police Division to download the App.
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