Man Punches 9-Year-Old Visiting NYC In The Face, Gets Tackled By Doorman

A 9-year-old girl visiting New York City with her family from Miami was sucker-punched in an unprovoked attack near Central Park on Monday. A doorman at The Plaza Hotel helped ensure the assailant did not escape before cops arrived.

The girl was walking near Central Park when the suspect, Raheem Ramsarran, 27, attacked her at around 11:20 a.m., according to the NY Daily News. Ramsarran allegedly punched the child on the left side of her head on the corner of Central Park South and Grand Army Plaza. The girl received medical attention at the scene and was treated for pain and swelling.

Kimberly Thomas, 24, was working at a COVID-19 testing booth on the day the child was attacked. She spotted Ramsarran in the area that sees a heavy footfall of tourists and felt he was having a mental breakdown at the time.

“He was running around chasing people. He was literally screaming in people’s faces, ‘AHHHH, AHHH!’” Thomas told the outlet.

“Men, women and children were fleeing the scene,” she added. “They were running down W. 59th St., and then the cops came. It was crazy.”

Neil Johnson, 60, a doorman at The Plaza Hotel heard Ramsarran yelling and rushed to help, managing to ensure the suspect was held down until cops arrived.

“I saw the woman crying and they’re running away from this guy and he’s walking fast toward them. So got to do something,” Johnson told the New York Post. “I got in between them and this crazy guy. And then another guy joined me, who apparently saw the whole thing happen. So we just made sure that this person couldn’t go.”

Cops arrived and took Ramsarran into custody at the Midtown North precinct. No details were revealed about a possible motive behind the attack.

Johnson said the child seemed to be in visible pain from being struck in the head. The young tourist reportedly traveled back home to Miami with her family after the assault.

The doorman said he hadn’t seen anything like Monday’s assault in the 24 years he worked as a doorman at The Plaza.

“There’s always been fights and stuff like that but nothing that disturbing. This was just off the charts as far as sanity goes,” he told the publication.

Johnson also felt it was “pretty clear” that the suspect had mental health issues and noted that Manhattan needs more hospitals to treat mental illness.

“That little girl is never going to want to come to New York City ever again,” Johnson added. “She’s not going to be ok. She’s traumatized. Can you imagine?”