By Sabina Mollot

Recently, a Peter Cooper resident was punched in the face in a random assault as he was out walking his dog on the property. The resident, who didn’t want his name published, told Town & Village last week about the incident, which happened on July 21, when he strolled past a man who was sitting on a bench.

In a swift move, the man, who appeared to be in his 20s, got up and punched the resident in the face, knocking off and breaking his glasses in the process. The resident also fell backwards and dropped his dog’s leash, and the pooch went running. “There were eight people there and no one helped me up,” he recalled, although at that point, one neighbor did follow the attacker, who had fled the area towards 511 East 20th Street. There, he got onto a bike that had been leaning on a fence and pedaled away towards the gas station under the FDR Drive.

The resident said he is now fine, having only gotten a few cuts from the scuffle, and the dog fortunately didn’t get too far away after the incident.

The victim described the suspect as Hispanic, about 5 ft. 5 ins. tall and slim except for a beer gut, and had puffy hair. He was wearing all green, including a camouflage shirt. The resident also suspects the man was under some sort of influence. “He was clearly a crazy person. He looked like his eyes were popping out,” he said. “He was definitely not a resident.”