NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A man was slashed across the neck in an unprovoked attack near the famed Astor Place Cube on Thursday, shocking bystanders who described a bloody and horrifying scene.
The random assault unfolded around 5:30 p.m. at Astor Place and Cooper Square in the East Village.
The area, a popular NYU hangout spot and tourist hub, was humming along as usual when the calm suddenly turned to chaos.
An attacker seemed to come out of nowhere and slash a man in his 20s across the back of his neck and shoulder, witnesses said.
The slashing left the victim lying on the ground covered in blood.
There was no interaction or provocation before the attack, which police called entirely unprovoked.
"Normal, people having food," a witness recalled to WABC-TV. "Literally 30 seconds. Turn around, heard a commotion. Gentleman was on the floor, holding his neck. Blood everywhere, hunched over, shirtless, trying to hold the back of his neck."
"He was bleeding horrifically," another witness said.
The victim was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, where he received stitches and was in stable condition.
The attacker fled the scene and was last spotted running east on St. Marks Place.
Some witnesses managed to snap photos of him before he got away.
The entire plaza around the Alamo cube was cordoned off with police tape into the evening as the NYPD investigated.
No arrests had been reported by Friday.
In another recent unprovoked attack, a 55-year-old woman was stabbed in the back a block from Central Park, the NYPD said Thursday.