Man slashed in the neck without provocation near Astor Place Cube

NEW YORK (1010 VICTORY/WCBS 880) – A man was punched in the neck in an unprovoked attack near the popular Astor Place Cube on Thursday, shocking passersby who described a bloody and horrific scene.

The random assault happened around 5:30 p.m. at Astor Place and Cooper Square in the East Village.

The neighborhood, a popular NYU hangout and tourist hub, was buzzing as usual when the calm suddenly turned to chaos.

An attacker appeared out of nowhere and punched a man in his 20s on the back of the head, witnesses said.

The blows left the victim lying on the ground, covered in blood.

There was no interaction or provocation before the attack, which police described as completely unprovoked.

“Normally, people eat,” a witness recalled to WABC-TV. “Literally 30 seconds. Turn around, I heard a commotion. The gentleman was on the ground, holding his neck. Blood everywhere, bent over, shirtless, trying to hold his neck.”

“He was bleeding horribly,” 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 seen running east on St. Marks Place.

Some witnesses managed to take a photo of him before he fled.

The entire plaza around the Alamo Cube was cordoned off with police tape into the evening while the New York Police Department investigated.

No arrests had been reported as of Friday.