The previously unknown assailant wanted for a brazen assault against Rick Moranis, star of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” has been taken into custody, police said Saturday.
The 67-year-old actor and comedian had just gotten back to his Upper West Side building from a morning walk on Oct. 1 when the suspect, without saying a word, allegedly punched Moranis in the head, knocking him to the ground. The NYPD said the attack occurred on Central Park West near W 70th Street around 7:30 a.m.
Officials from the NYPD identified the suspect Saturday as Marquis Ventura, who was spotted by a transit officer. Additional details of the suspect, including attorney representation, were not immediately known.
Immediately following the attack, according to the NYPD, Moranis took himself to the hospital before later reporting the incident to police at the 20th Precinct. He suffered injuries to his head, back and hip, and returned home to recover.
“[Rick Moranis] is fine but grateful for everyone’s thoughts and well wishes,” a representative for the actor said after the incident.
Police had released video of the assault on Twitter as well as a close-up surveillance image of the suspect, dressed in black and wearing an “I Love New York” hoodie. The NYPD called the assault “random” and “unprovoked.”
The NYPD released a surveillance image of the suspect accused of punching actor and comedian Rick Moranis in an early-morning assault near Central Park on Thursday.
The NYPD’s new Community Affairs Rapid Response Team visited Moranis at his home after the incident. The newly-formed group checks on victims of crimes in all five boroughs, and offers assistance.
The team said Moranis had one request: “He just wants us to catch the bad guy all this to go away,” said Det. Kaz Daughtry.
Before the attack, Moranis had caught attention for making a return to on-camera work, appearing in a commercial for Mint Mobile alongside fellow Canadian Ryan Reynolds.
The “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” star left Hollywood more than 20 years ago so he could focus on raising his two children as a single father.