Boardwalk Empire actor Michael Stuhlbarg attacked by rock-wielding man in New York
Actor Michael Stuhlbarg has been attacked by a rock-wielding man near Central Park in New York.
The Boardwalk Empire star was the victim of what appears to be a random assault by a homeless man near Central Park on the Upper East Side of the city on Sunday night (31 March), police confirmed to the New York Post.
Xavier Israel, 27, is alleged to have attacked 55-year-old Stuhlbarg in the back of the neck with the weapon, causing an abrasion and other injuries, police confirmed on Monday (1 April).
The Call Me By Your Name star chased his assailant after the attack. Mr Israel was apprehended by police stationed outside the Russian consulate at the time, before being taken into custody and charged with assault.
Stuhlbarg, who also starred in the movie A Serious Man, was reported to be walking near East 90th and East Drive around 7.45pm on Sunday (31 March) when the incident took place.
The attacker had previously been arrested for two assaults as well as a robbery, incidents which took place in January 2022, police said. He had been on parole for a burglary offence at the time of the attack on the star.
The actor declined medical assistance for the pain and bruising to his neck, according to police and other sources present at the time of the incident.
Witnesses present at the scene claim they saw Mr Israel pick up the rock and throw it in to a crowd of people.
It comes in the wake of a spate of random violent attacks in the city which has led to the deployment of the National Guard to subway stations. Multiple women have reported being punched in the face and have warned each other to stay aware of their surroundings as a result.
A 40-year-old man who has repeatedly run for elected office in the city has been arrested over the attacks.
Last week, a commuter was killed after being shoved on to the tracks of an oncoming subway train by a man with multiple prior arrests and an apparent history of mental illness.
Last month Brooklyn’s District Attorney said that an alleged shooter from a Brooklyn subway train confrontation, that escalated from a verbal exchange to a shooting that left a man critically injured – would not be charged given “evidence of self-defense”.
Stuhlbarg was attacked less than two miles from where his Boardwalk Empire character, Arnold Rothstein, was fatally shot. The period crime drama TV series aired on HBO for five seasons between 2010 and 2014.
The show was produced by Killers of the Flower Moon director Martin Scorsese and Ted actor Mark Wahlberg. It starred Steve Buscemi, known for his breakout role as Mr Pink in Quentin Tarantino’s movie Reservoir Dogs, and Ghost in the Shell actor Michael Pitt.
Emmy nominee Stuhlbarg is due to return to Broadway this month to portray Boris Berezovsky in the play Patriot.
The Independent has reached out to representatives for Stuhlbarg for comment.
