A 68-year-old man was brutally assaulted by a stranger in broad daylight near the entrance to Francis Lewis Park in Whitestone on Sunday afternoon, and police from the 109th Precinct in Flushing are asking for the public’s help in tracking down his assailant.
The random attack occurred just before 3 p.m. on Sept. 8, as the victim was walking in the vicinity of 3rd Avenue and the Whitestone Expressway. The perpetrator approached and engaged the victim in a verbal dispute. The argument turned violent when the suspect punched the victim in the face with a closed fist, knocking him to the ground, where he struck his head, police said. The suspect then fled in an unknown direction.
The injured man was transported to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect on Monday and described him as having a light complexion, a bald head, a dark beard and a mustache. He wore a black polo shirt, light-colored shorts and black sandals.
Anyone with information regarding this assault investigation is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Through Sept. 8, the 109th Precinct has reported 361 felony assaults so far in 2024, 47 more than the 314 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 15%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
