A 24-year-old man was hit in the head with a hammer while chatting with his girlfriend on a Bronx sidewalk Sunday afternoon, according to police.
A suspect with tools snuck up behind the victim and struck him across the street from 1445 Nelson Avenue in the Highbridge neighborhood around 12:45 p.m., police said.
The injured victim was treated by medics at the scene minutes later.
He had a gauze pad wrapped around the top of his head to the bottom of his chin as blood appeared to drip from the back of his head, according to photos taken at the scene.
At one point, the victim, who had no shirt on, laid down on a piece of clothing to receive help from first responders.
He was taken to Saint Barnabas in stable condition.
The attacker fled on foot after the assault and has not yet been arrested, police said.
More information about the hammer attack, including what the motive may have been, was not immediately available.