An elderly woman was knocked out and concussed when she was randomly attacked by a brute while walking her son’s dog on the Upper West Side Friday, the victim and authorities said.
The 81-year-old longtime New Yorker was walloped on the side of the face around 7 p.m. by a man who crept up behind her on the sidewalk near her apartment at West 66th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, video obtained by Fox 5 shows.
The suspect initially walked by the victim while she was with her son’s Goldendoodle. Moments later he turned around and carried out his heartless assault, the video shows.
The woman, identified as Geula Freeman, was laid out on the ground following the vicious sucker punch, the disturbing footage shows.
She suffered facial and head injuries and was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital for treatment, police said.
“I have amnesia, I don’t even remember what had happened,” she told The Post Tuesday. “Except that I have the face and body (bruises) to feel that.”
“I was told I lost consciousness and that I had a concussion,” she continued.
The first thing she recalled following the attack was sitting in her sister’s apartment; the siblings live in the same building.
She said she didn’t think she was targeted by the perp, but wants the man to get help if he’s captured by police. As of Tuesday night, the suspect remained in the wind.
“I don’t take it personally, it was random, nobody really wanted to do it just to me. I don’t take it personally,” Freeman said.
Freeman, who has lived on the Upper West Side since 2007 and frequents Lincoln Center, said days later the swelling on her face is going down and she’s thankful the injuries were not more serious.
While she’s intent on moving on from the attack, Freeman said she’s more vigilant when she goes outside now, and won’t be riding the subway in the near future to avoid being in tight spaces and near people who might be more disturbed.
“It was such a surprise because it was described to me how it happened that I would not have been able to do anything,” she said of the attack.
“But at least I’m now looking to see who’s coming toward me and not to be too close to people and like in the last two days when I see people a little bit off, I just really make sure I’m a little bit far from them so I’m very vigilant.”