Elderly Voice Coach Gravely Injured In Shove Attack: NYPD, Report

NEW YORK CITY — An elderly voice coach whose clients included Blondie singer Debbie Harry is clinging to life after a random shoving attack in Chelsea, according to police and reports.

An as-yet-unidentified young woman pushed Barbara Maier Gustern, 87, to the ground on March 10, NYPD officials said.

The New York Times — which first identified Gustern has the victim — reported that the attack left her with a traumatic brain injury. Gustern remains in critical condition at a local hospital, police said.

The attack unfolded about 8:25 p.m. near West 28th Street and Eighth Avenue when a women walked up to Gustern from behind, authorities said.

The woman pushed Gustern to the ground, where she hit her head, police said. A bicyclist who saw the attack walked Gustern to her building, where Gustern's friends were in her apartment rehearsing for a cabaret show, the New York Times reported.

Her friends saw Gustern covered in blood, the Times reported. Gustern, who was still conscious at that point, told police her attacker shouted a derogatory term before the assault, according to the Times.

Gustern's condition worsened, she lost conscious and medics rushed her to a local hospital where she had emergency surgery to ease brain swelling, the Times reported.

Gustern is well-known in New York City's music scene. Her students included Debbie Harry, the lead singer for Blondie, among a chorus line of Broadway performers, according to the Times.

Police released video of a woman they said attacked Gustern. They described her as a woman with a light complexion and long dark hair. She was last seen wearing a black jacket, black leggings, white skirt or dress and dark shoes.

People with tips are asked to call NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or online at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.