NEW YORK (NEWSnet/AP) — A man has been arrested for a random assault of a young woman earlier this week on a New York City street, police said Wednesday.

The 40-year-old man was arrested in connection with an assault on a 23-year-old woman in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood on Monday, police said.

The woman told police she was walking near West 16th Street and 7th Avenue when an unknown person hit her in the head and knocked her to the ground, injuring the left side of her face.

When asked if the suspect is being investigated for similar assaults, NYPD said only the investigation is ongoing.

The arrest comes after several videos went viral on social media showing women describing being hit by a stranger on a Manhattan sidewalk in recent weeks. NYPD wouldn’t say if the arrest is related to those incidents.

One video that drew millions of views on social media in recent days shows a TikTok userdescribing an assault, at the same location, as she walked along the sidewalk looking at her phone.

The same day, another TikTok user, describing herself as a student at Parsons School of Design, uploaded a video saying she was punched in the face after leaving class. She also was looking at her phone and texting.

Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.

Copyright 2024 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.