Attacker's Punch Ruptures Crown Heights Man's Eyeball, Blinds Him

CROWN HEIGHTS — An as-yet-unidentified attacker threw a punch that ruptured a man's eyeball during a scuffle in Crown Heights last week, police said.

The man, 73, is now blind in his left eye and police seek help identifying his attacker, authorities said.

The clash unfolded late Jan. 16 near Kingston Avenue and Saint John's Place when the victim crossed paths with another man. Their sparring ended when the suspected landed a closed-fist punch on the man's left eye, rupturing it, according to the NYPD.

The pugilistic assailant ran off while the man made it to a local hospital, police said. The man told police he knew his attacker from the neighborhood but not by name, authorities said.

People who can identify the man are asked to contact police by NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or online.