A crazed Brooklyn resident randomly punched a French tourist in the head in Midtown on Saturday morning, sending the victim crashing headfirst into a flight of stone steps, according to police sources and a video of the incident, just days after he allegedly attacked an elderly man in the East Village.
According to surveillance footage of the incident, around 9:30 a.m., Philippe Marie (60), of Talence, France, was walking around in front of a Burger King on West 42nd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues when suspect Norman Nelson (49), of Brooklyn, sneaked up from behind and delivered a left hook to the side of the head.
The impact caused Mary to sprawl and appear to hit her head on a staircase near the restaurant’s entrance, video showed.
Two others, including the man who had been walking with Mary, quickly chased the savage and the three got into a brawl in the bus lane which ended when Nelson walked away.
The video shows the tourist jumping to his feet after being hit, then running back up the stairs and leaning over as fellow tourists tried to help him.
Police subsequently arrested Nelson, a repeat offender with at least six prior arrests, and charged him with third-degree assault, aggravated harassment and other offenses, according to sources and court records.
Meanwhile, sources told The Post that Mary was taken to Bellevue Hospital where doctors examined her for a laceration to her forehead and a nosebleed.
Nelson also is charged in an unrelated incident in which he struck an 81-year-old man in the head with a wooden box on East 14th Street just before noon on Aug. 6, officials said.
The victim, elderly Gramercy Park resident Peter Baldazzi, was taken to New York University Hospital for treatment.
Nelson was charged with second-degree assault and third-degree assault with intent to injure in the attack.
A Burger King manager lamented the state of affairs in Midtown on Sunday, saying the attack was emblematic of the area’s homelessness problem.
“We have constant problems with them. They’re violent,” said the manager, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “They’re the same ones who come here high. It’s very dangerous to walk these streets.”
Police sources said most of Nelson’s previous arrests were for fare evasion.
The West Side of Manhattan has been in the spotlight lately as unstable, drug-addled crazies have flooded the streets, terrorizing locals and tourists alike.
The situation has turned into a full-blown “humanitarian crisis,” leaving heavily trafficked areas in ruins, City Councilman Eric Bottcher said. Recent Letters He asked the mayor for help.
“Our community needs help right now,” he said. “We can’t continue like this.”
