Andrew Cuomo staffer hit over the head with a brick in shocking random attack in Manhattan
Cuomo staffer in hospital after being attacked in broad daylight on Christmas Eve
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Your support makes all the difference.A woman who works for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was hit over the head with a cinder block after she left the Governor's office in Manhattan. The man suspected of the attack is under arrest.
51-year-old Lisa Cavanaugh was followed down East 48th street in New York City before being attacked from behind. Officials said the assault was unprovoked.
The suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Christopher Guzman, who has been charged with assault. Cavanaugh was taken to Bellevue hospital with injuries to the back of her head, requiring stitches. She is in a serious but stable condition, ABC7 reported.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Cavanaugh has been a "Recruitment and Appointments Officer" for Governor Cuomo since September.
Crime has been on the rise in New York City during the pandemic, with leaders like Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio struggling to respond.
According to crime statistics released by the NYPD, the number of murders in New York City has ticked up by almost 40 per cent compared to last year, meanwhile, the numbers of felony assault cases have decreased by almost two per cent.
The number of burglaries has grown by more than 41 per cent and car thefts have increased by almost 68 per cent.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said on December 8: "What is going on this year? An absolute perfect storm...You cannot combine a massive health crisis, tens of thousands of people dying, hospitals overwhelmed, economies shut down, schools shut down, houses of worship shut down, society not having its normal moorings all at once, a social justice crisis. I mean, come on. This is not like anything we've seen in our history and I believe not like anything we will see again in our lifetimes. And in that atmosphere, we saw an uptick in violence."
The man who attacked Ms Cavanaugh was homeless, according to the New York Daily News. The number of homeless people in the city has also risen during the pandemic as people lose their jobs and fall behind on rent in a city with a high cost of living. According to PayScale, housing in New York is 369 per cent more expensive than the national average.
In September, more than 150 New York City business leaders sent a letter to Mr de Blasio saying that: "There is widespread anxiety over public safety, cleanliness and other quality of life issues."
The business leaders urged the mayor to "take immediate action to restore essential services as a necessary precursor for solving the city’s longer term, complex, economic challenges."
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