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Who attacked Rick Moranis? 'Ghostbusters' actor gets punched in head by man wearing 'I (heart) NY' sweatshirt

An unidentified man knocked Moranis to the ground as he walked on the Upper West Side on October 1, 2020

Celebrity attacks are not new. From Beatles' singer John Lennon to actress Rebecca Schaeffer, fans have often turned their obsession into stalking and even murder. In one such case, Rick Moranis — who is best known for his roles in 'Ghostbusters' and 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' — told police in New York to "catch the bad guy" who punched him in the head, knocking him to the ground as he walked on the Upper West Side on Thursday, October 1, 2020. 

Caught on surveillance camera, the horrific assault shows the 67-year-old walking southbound on Central Park West near West 70th Street at about 7.30 am on Thursday morning when an unidentified man suddenly struck him in the head and knocked him to the ground. Mysteriously, the attack took place barely a few blocks away from where Moranis's character — Louis Tully — lived in the 1984 supernatural action-comedy 'Ghostbusters'. 

After the attack, Moranis reportedly checked in at a local hospital and reported pain in his head, back and right hip. The extent of his injuries hasn't been disclosed as of now. After being treated, the actor then reported the incident to cops at the 20th Precinct, according to a police official.

Is Rick Moranis okay?

As per a Daily Mail report, a group of officers from the New York Police Department visited the actor on Friday, October 2 afternoon, at his home on the Upper West Side following an unprovoked attack on the streets. "[Moranis] is doing well. He is strong. He is recovering," said Detective Kaz Daughtry, one of six cops with the NYPD's new Community Affairs Rapid Response. "He just wants us to catch the bad guy and all this to go away. He has some injuries to his left side," he explained.

Officers from the Community Affairs Rapid Response team — a newly formed unit which served to check up on city crime victims "to let them know we are there help them out in any way that we can help them" — visited Moranis. Officer Jonadel Dorrejo added: "At this moment, [Moranis] just wants to stay home, he just wants to recover, and he just wants, you know, peace of mind, and once he gets better, then he is going to go out and do his daily things that he usually does."

“Rick Moranis was assaulted on the Upper West Side yesterday. He is fine but grateful for everyone’s thoughts and well wishes,” a spokesperson for the actor said on Friday in a statement to The Times. 

Who was the attacker?

As per Sky News, the attacker was wearing a black I (heart) NY sweatshirt paired with black pants and was carrying a backpack. Police described it as a "random unprovoked assault" and not many details have been revealed yet. On Twitter, the NYPD said it is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for the attacker's apprehension. NYPD did not reveal the victim as Moranis in the tweet, but law enforcement later confirmed the identity, Daily Mail reports. 

"WANTED for ASSAULT: On 10/1, at 7:24 AM, a 67-year-old male victim was walking southbound on Central Park West in the vicinity of West 70th Street, when an unidentified male struck him in the head with a closed fist, knocking him to the ground. Have info? Call/DM @NYPDTips," their tweet read.

The tweet soon sparked quite a frenzy on social media. "That's a manly man right there, sucker-punching a 5'4", 67-year-old man. Strut your stuff, dude," one tweet read and another said, "Is he mentally ill? No words exchanged? Punching that little dude, completely unprovoked with no words exchanged would seem Very odd." "NYPD should be able to trace his steps before and after this incident very easily and locate him, if they have the resources and given right to access cameras. Cases like this, anyone not willing to cooperate by denying camera recordings should face penalties," one tweet read. Another said, "I hope you catch that guy. That was Rick Moranis he attacked."

If you have any information, call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS. Tips, which are confidential, can also be submitted online or via Twitter by sending a message to @NYPDTips.

What Hollywood has to say

The attack sent shock waves all across the world, especially among his Hollywood peers. Chris Evans tweeted: "My blood is boiling. Find this man. You don’t touch Rick Moranis," and Ryan Reynolds wrote: "Should have known not to subject Rick to the year 2020. Glad to hear he’s okay."Journalist Jason Schreier said, "As we enter this troubling time of confusion and uncertainty I just want to offer my most sincere thoughts and prayers — and hopes for a full, painless recovery — to actor Rick Moranis. TV producer Adam F Goldberg tweeted: "The most important person in our country has been sent to the hospital today. As his biggest fan and supporter, I send Rick Moranis all the good vibes in my body. The country is united. You deserve better. #JusticeForMoranis."

The actor is also known for a string of films like 'Little Shop of Horrors' (1986), 'Spaceballs' (1987), 'Parenthood' (1989), 'My Blue Heaven' (1990), and 'The Flintstones' (1994). In 1997, he took a break from acting to spend time with his children after his wife's death. After a nearly 23-year hiatus from live-action films, recently he signed to appear in a new sequel to 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' called 'Shrunk'.