Actor Michael Stuhlbarg, best known for portraying gangster Arnold Rothstein in the hit HBO drama series “Boardwalk Empire,” is recovering from a physical assault that took place on the eve of March 31 in New York City.
The “Dopesick” star, 55, was struck in the head by a rock hurled by a homeless man, later identified as Xavier Israel, while walking through Central Park. The incident occurred at around 7:45 p.m., the New York Police Department (NYPD) has confirmed.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information (DCPI) told The Epoch Times via email that “police responded to a 911 call of an assault in progress in the vicinity of 90th Street and East Drive, within the confines of the Central Park Precinct.”
The statement continued: “The victim chased the 27-year-old male to the front of 9 East 91st Street where uniformed officers took the 27-year-old male into custody without further incident.”
A preliminary investigation by the NYPD determined that the undomiciled assailant threw the rock. Despite not sustaining any serious injuries, Mr. Stuhlbarg did suffer an abrasion on the back of his neck from the attack and subsequently declined medical attention at the scene.
Mr. Israel—who reportedly has a prior record of assault and robbery stemming from arrests made in January 2022—was arrested approximately 15 minutes after the incident occurred and charged with assault.
Central Park Crimes on the Rise
Just after midnight on April 1—mere hours after Mr. Stuhlbarg was attacked with a rock—a 39-year-old woman was violently struck in the back with a hammer while walking in Central Park, the Gothamist reported. Police are still investigating the incident, and no arrests have been made.
The two attacks are the latest of a spate of recent crimes that have dogged Manhattan’s sprawling urban park in recent months. On March 6, a 30-year-old woman was sexually assaulted by a man riding an unmotorized scooter while jogging through the park.
“[He] got off the scooter, grabbed the victim’s waist from behind, and rubbed himself against [her]. The individual fled on the scooter northbound on West Drive, exiting the park onto West 72nd Street and Central Park West. The victim did not sustain any physical injuries as a result of this incident,” a report from the NYPD detailed, per West Side Rag.
The NYPD has also been investigating a string of knifepoint robberies that have taken place in Central Park since March 27, which local police believe were committed by a group of teenagers, per CBS News.
According to recent crime statistics supplied by the NYPD, five robberies and one felony assault befell the Central Park Precinct during the last week of March alone. A total of 15 robberies, two felony assaults, one rape, and nine grand larceny offenses were committed this year as of March 31.
The figures represent a stark increase from the same period the previous year. In particular, robberies surged by 650 percent compared to 2023 data; grand larceny incidents were also up 80 percent.
NYC Crime Statistics
In January, the NYPD revealed that it had seen “substantial drops” in many major felony offenses in comparison to the corresponding month of the prior year.
Murders, rapes, burglaries, and felony assaults decreased by 25, 24.4, 19.8, and 1.5 percent, respectively. Shooting incidents were also down, with January seeing an overall 10.8 percent reduction in gun violence. The NYPD largely attributed this to its seizure of 508 guns and the arrests of 330 individuals for possessing illegal firearms that month.
“It is evident that the tremendous work being done by the men and women of the NYPD to confront gun violence head-on continues to drive significant reductions in violence and disorder across many categories,” Police Commissioner Edward A. Caban said in a statement.
“These intensive efforts are having ripple effects citywide, and are enhancing quality of life and increasing public safety on a large scale,” he added.
Despite the decrease in crimes across the city, NYC’s subway transit network saw a marked uptick in crimes by over 46 percent in January. As a result, the NYPD increased police presence in local subways by about 1,000 officers per day the following month, resulting in a 15.4 percent drop in subway crimes.
“We see our subway stations and trains as not just necessary means of rapid transit, but as neighborhoods unto themselves,” Mr. Caban said. “And it is easy to understand why: In each station, on each platform, in each train car—people are going to work, to school, to home, or to tourist destinations. They are the people who make New York City great by keeping us all connected, one ride at a time.”
He continued: “In every community, both above ground and below, it is paramount that the NYPD continues to use every available resource to deter and prevent crime before it can happen, and to bring swift justice to victims if it does happen. That is the public safety New Yorkers expect and deserve from their police.”
From The Epoch Times
