tonight New York City is on edge following a string of random assaults including two high-profile incidents in just the last week a tourist in Times Square was stabbed over the weekend and a celebrity was punched in the face by a stranger just a few days earlier cbs's Nikki batist reports on what's behind this rise in frightening attacks surveillance video shows this terrifying moment on Saturday in Time Square a man jumping up from a walker pulling out a knife and lunging at two women walking by stabbing one of them in the chest a few minutes later police handcuffed the suspect it's the latest in a series of random assaults across New York City about a dozen people mostly women and one 9-year-old have reported incidents to police some shared stories online saying they were randomly punched in the face while walking down the street it was like like a zombie walk in and she just punch me and just keep walking out of nowhere actor Steve Bui had a swollen bloody eye after he was allegedly hit by this man last week his publicist said in a statement that The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire star was another victim of a random act of violence in the city I think it's a combination of factors and one of it is unaddressed mental illness overall murders burglaries and shootings in New York City are down but there have been about 1,000 more misdemeanor assaults like punching incidents this year year compared to last about a 7% jump is it the randomness of these incidents that causes the alarm it is I'm just minding my business I'm not engaging with anybody I'm not making eye contact I'm not being hostile um and yet I get assaulted and that's what makes people afraid the NYPD believes there are multiple people Behind These punching attacks and they don't all appear to be connected so far there have been at least four arrests we reached out to the NYPD to ask if they're stepping up Street TRS but we haven't heard back Nora Nikki bz thanks very much