East Harlem Man Left With Severe Facial Burns After Stranger Hurls Scalding Liquid At Him Outside Restaurant

A man waiting for a takeout order outside an East Harlem fast-food restaurant suffered severe burns to his face and neck after a stranger approached from behind and threw an unknown hot substance on him, police said.

The attack occurred Monday night around 8:45 p.m. outside Cravin Crispy on Park Avenue near East 116th Street. Surveillance video shows the victim, identified in reports as Johnny Alcantara, standing with his back to the street and looking at his phone when a man carrying what appeared to be a steaming thermos or pot walked up and hurled the liquid at his head and upper body. The attacker then fled north on Park Avenue.

Alcantara, described by police as being in his early to mid-40s, told Eyewitness News he felt a splash followed by intense burning. “It just turned black, and it ate through the hoodie,” he said. He reported blackened skin, white and pink patches, and blisters on the left side of his face, his ear, and the back of his neck. Doctors told him he was fortunate the substance did not enter his eye. “All I wanted to know is why?” he said.

Restaurant worker Oscar Perez said he saw the man carrying the container but had no indication he would throw it. “Pretty bizarre. Throwing it on a random person, too, even more crazier,” Perez told NBC New York. Staff later noticed a white residue on the sidewalk. Investigators said the two men did not know each other and have not identified the substance or a motive. Alcantara was taken to Harlem Hospital and listed in stable condition.

Police released a description of the suspect as a man with a goatee, wearing a beanie, black jacket over a gray sweatshirt, black pants, and white sneakers. No arrests had been announced as of early October. The case remains under investigation by the NYPD.