Woman, 81, speaks out after random punch in the face: 'I feel lucky'
NEW YORK - An 81-year-old woman who was randomly punched in the head on Friday on the Upper West Side is speaking out after being hospitalized.
The woman who wishes to go by Gloria, says she feels lucky to be alive.
Covered in bruises on her face and neck, she spoke exclusively to FOX 5 NY's Duarte Geraldino about the attack.
Although Gloria doesn't remember much of the incident due to a concussion from the attack, she describes it as scary.
She says she's in good spirits despite her attacker still being out there.
"That's the scary part, [it happened] in front of my building," she says.
In the video obtained exclusively by FOX 5, Gloria is seen walking her dog before a man dressed in black walks up to her from behind and swings.
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She then hits her head against the side of the building before losing her balance.
"I didn't want to see the tape and maybe because I feel so lucky, because he could have had a knife," she says, explaining that she refused to watch.
"My neck was almost as fat as my face," she explained.
The attack happened on Friday just after 7 p.m. near W. 66th St. and Amsterdam Avenue.
Following the attack, Gloria says she's still taking walks outside with her dog. "I'm not going to hide in my apartment," she says.
The NYPD is still investigating the incident and says it's in addition to the growing number of misdemeanor assaults in the city.
No arrests have been made.
Gloria says she wants the man to get professional help instead of jail time.
"It was not against me. He is sick and he did not really rob me. He did not take anything. He just hit me for no good reason," she explained.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).