A 9-year-old tourist from Miami was sucker-punched in the head while visiting New York City with her mom on Monday. The girl and her mother were walking near Central Park. A doorman at The Plaza sprung into action and made sure the assailant couldn’t flee before cops showed up.
Police sources said, Ramsarran, 27, the suspect, allegedly punched the young tourist in the left side of her head at around 11:20 a.m. on the corner of Central Park South and Grand Army Plaza.
“We saw a man with a backpack, a red hoodie, and a beige jacket screaming at people and people literally running away from him, and he was just like yelling,” said Kimberly Thomas, 24. She was working at a nearby COVID-19 testing booth Monday morning when the assault happened.
The doorman at The Plaza Hotel, Neil Johnson, 60, was at work on Monday when he heard the commotion, and he ran to the scene to help.
“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,” he told the Post. “I got in between them and this crazy guy. And then another guy joined me, who apparently saw the whole thing happened. So we just made sure that this person couldn’t go.”
Johnson said he witnessed the young victim holding her head and clearly in pain. The doorman called the police while ensuring the young girl was not attacked again.
Complaining of pain on the left side of her head, the girl was treated on the scene. Yelena Contreras Molerio, 36, the girl’s mother, refused the offer to have her kid given further medical treatment, police said.
The name of the girl is unknown.
Police said Ramsarran was nabbed at 30 Central Park South about 15 minutes after the alleged assault. He was brought to Midtown North precinct and is currently in custody.
“After he realized he couldn’t go any further, we weren’t going to let him, he stayed there and started yelling, ‘Where are the cops? Where are the cops?” Johnson said.
Thomas said most of the attacker’s rant was unintelligible and was primarily angry noises.
Witnesses called the police after seeing the unprovoked attack. The motive for the assault was unclear as of Monday.
Ahmed Ahmed, 41, who operates a food cart on the corner of Grand Army Plaza and Central Park South, saw the incident but did not describe it as an attack.
“I seen this guy he had a bag, and he ran into a small girl,” Ahmed said while making a pushing motion.
Amhed saw the alleged suspect “push the girl on the ground and then run.” Because it happened so fast, he said he might not have grasped the entire scene.
Harlem is Ramsarran’s last known address.
Cops were called to Ramsarran’s previous Queens address in 2018 and again in 2019 for reports of an emotionally disturbed person, police sources said. Responding officers were told he was not on medication. One time, the assailant said he felt suicidal and wanted to be hospitalized.
The man clearly had a mental illness, Johnson told the Post. During his 24 year stint at The Plaza, Johnson said he’s never seen something like the Monday morning punch.
“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 said, adding that the city needs more hospitals to treat people who have a mental illness.
“That little girl is never going to want to come to New York City ever again. She’s not going to be ok. She’s traumatized. Can you imagine?” When a Post reporter told him the girl was in town from Miami, Johnson said.
