Detectives are looking to track down a knife-wielding loon who harassed and assaulted pedestrians on Manhattan’s Upper East Side three times on Monday morning.
The NYPD released on Tuesday video footage of the creep wanted for the mid-morning rampage, which began at 10:43 a.m. on Dec. 16 in front of an apartment building on Park Avenue near East 82nd Street.
According to police, an adult male victim began talking to the driver of a parked vehicle when the unknown suspect approached and said, “I know you are talking about me!” This led to a verbal dispute, during which the perpetrator displayed a knife.
Cops said the knife-wielding loon chased the man around the car, then returned to the sidewalk and began walking away, heading eastbound on East 82nd Street before turning northbound on Park Avenue.
Twenty minutes later, authorities said, the grumpy grinch attacked a 21-year-old woman in front of an apartment building on East 85th Street off Park Avenue.
According to law enforcement sources, the young woman was minding her own business, looking at her cellphone, when the perpetrator smacked the side of her head, then walked away. The attack was caught on tape in the video footage police released Tuesday.
Cops said the victim suffered pain and swelling to her face, but refused medical attention.
The rampaging man then assaulted and harassed two pedestrians at the southwest corner of East 87th Street and Third Avenue at 11:13 a.m. Monday.
Police said the individual purposely bumped into male and female victims as they were walking. The suspect then told the female victim to move, at which point, the male individual confronted him.
According to authorities, the suspect displayed a knife at the male victim, and an eyewitness captured the moment on their phone. Seeing this, the angry suspect chased after the eyewitness into Third Avenue traffic.
Cops said the suspect gave up his pursuit of the eyewitness soon after, and was last seeing walking along East 86th Street.
Police described the rampaging man as a 25-year-old man with a dark complexion and a thin build, standing about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing about 115 pounds. He has a goatee and short black hair, and was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a three-quarter length camouflage hooded jacket, blue jeans and black sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA), visit the Crime Stoppers website, or send a direct message on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
