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Actor Rick Moranis sucker punched in unprovoked attack in New York City

Surveillance video showed a man wearing a “I (heart) NY” sweatshirt hitting the 67-year-old “Ghostbusters” star and knocking him to the ground.
Credit: Twiter: Mint Mobile
Rick Moranis appears in a Mint Mobile commercial with Ryan Reynolds on Sept. 9, 2020.

Actor Rick Moranis, star of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" and "Ghostbusters," was randomly attacked by a stranger while walking on a sidewalk near New York City's Central Park on Thursday, law enforcement sources told NBC New York, CBS New York and the Associated Press. 

Police said the attack occurred just before 7:30 a.m. Eastern. 

The New York City Police Department released surveillance video that showed a person in an "I Love NY" sweatshirt punching Moranis in the head, knocking him to the ground. 

Police released surveillance video of the assault in seeking the public's help to find the attacker, but did not say Moranis was the victim because of privacy concerns. Police describe the incident as a “random unprovoked assault.”

Moranis was attacked while walking south on Central Park West. The assailant fled northbound. Moranis suffered back, hip, neck and head pain, though the full extent of his injuries was not clear, the official said.

Moranis, a beloved comedy icon, recently ended his 23-year on-screen hiatus to appear in a commercial for actor Ryan Reynolds' phone company. 

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Moranis last appeared on the big screen for the movie "Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves" which was released in 1997. In a 2015 feature by The Hollywood Reporter, he explained he had not retired, but stepped away from acting after his wife, Ann, died of breast cancer.

He still worked on a few select projects, like being a voice actor in Disney's "Brother Bear" movies. 

Earlier this year, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter said that Moranis will return to acting for a new sequel in the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" series, with Josh Gad playing his son. It will be the fourth film in the series, which included  "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" (1989), "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid" (1992) and the straight-to-video "Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves."

Credit: NYPD
Surveillance video released by the NYPD shows a man, later identified as actor Rick Moranis, getting attacked by a stranger on the street in New York City.

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