Holly MatkinNewark, NJ – A 73-year-old man was knocked unconscious in a random attack while out for a walk last week (video below).
The brutal assault occurred near the intersection of Merchant Street and Ferry Street at approximately 10 a.m. on Feb. 11, WABC reported.
Security footage showed the 73-year-old victim walking down the sidewalk with his wife just before a man on a skateboard approached them from behind.
The suspect then sucker-punched the senior citizen, knocking him in the head and rendering him unconscious, WABC reported.
The victim collapsed to the pavement as the suspect picked something up off the ground and fled the area, the video showed.
The injured man was rushed to University Hospital for treatment, WABC reported.
His daughter said he has since been released to recover at home and that he doesn’t remember anything about the attack.
“When he woke up, he just kept asking what happened to him,” she told WABC. “Because he doesn’t remember anything what happened.”
The woman said her parents have lived in the area for three decades and that they often walk the route where the assault occurred.
“You know, in this area, we think it’s safe, but it’s not. They don’t want to leave the house anymore. They’re so scared,” she told WABC. “I feel sick, very sick, very sad, and I don’t know what do to, what to say.”
She said her father celebrated his 73rd birthday just one day before the attack.
Police later announced the arrest of 21-year-old Tyjihad Ellison in connection with the assault, WABC reported.
Ellison, who police said suffers from mental illness, has been charged with aggravated assault, according to WKXW.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. Warning – Graphic Content:
