The recorded attack outside a 116th Street restaurant left a 40-year-old man with burns and unsettled people nearby.
NEW YORK — Surveillance video from outside an East Harlem restaurant has captured an unexplained attack in which a man walked up behind a customer and threw an unknown liquid onto him, leaving the 40-year-old victim with burns to his face and neck.
The attack occurred Monday night outside Cravin Crispy on 116th Street, where restaurant staff said the victim had been waiting for an order. NBC New York reported that the video shows the victim facing away as another man approaches from behind and throws the substance toward his head and upper body.
The footage has become a key publicly known element of a case that otherwise contains several unanswered questions. Investigators said the two men did not know each other, and authorities had not announced a motive. Police also had not identified the substance that caused the burns.
Employees returned to a troubling scene after the attack. Workers said a white residue could be seen on the sidewalk, although officials had not publicly said what the residue was or whether testing had determined whether it was connected to the substance thrown at the victim. Police were back in the area Tuesday as the investigation continued.
Restaurant employee Oscar Perez described the episode to NBC New York as especially disturbing because the victim and attacker were believed to be strangers. The available reporting did not indicate that the victim was involved in an argument with the man before the substance was thrown.
The apparent lack of a known connection also drew concern from neighborhood residents. East Harlem resident Tanya Leslie told the station that the possibility of someone being approached unexpectedly by a stranger was unsettling. Her comments reflected uncertainty surrounding an attack that police had not publicly tied to a robbery, dispute or other known confrontation.
Authorities had not publicly identified the man seen approaching the victim in the surveillance footage. The reporting also did not establish what happened to him immediately after the attack or provide a detailed description that could independently confirm his identity.
The victim’s name had not been released. Police described him as 40 years old, while restaurant workers said he was waiting for food when he was approached. Officials had not publicly provided a detailed update on his medical condition beyond the reported burns to his face and neck.
The investigation remained unresolved Wednesday, with three basic questions still unanswered publicly: who carried out the attack, what substance was used and why the victim was targeted. Police continued investigating after returning to the East Harlem block Tuesday.
Author note: Last updated September 30, 2026.