A man was taken into custody Thursday night after he attacked Rep. Lee Zeldin at a campaign stop in New York. Zeldin is the Republican nominee for governor.
According to a statement from Zeldin’s campaign, the man “attempted to stab” the congressman who then “grabbed the attacker’s wrist to stop him until several others assisted in taking the attacker down to the ground.” The man was then taken into custody.
Witnesses say the attacker had a weapon and raised it towards the congressman’s neck. The congressman fought back hard and both men tumbled to the stage floor.
Katie Vincentz, a Zeldin campaign spokesperson, said in a statement: “Congressman Zeldin, [running mate] Alison Esposito and all members of Team Zeldin are safe following tonight’s attack. Far more must be done to make New York safe again. This is very much getting out of hand in this state.
“Unfortunately, Congressman Zeldin is just the latest New Yorker whose life has been affected by the out of control crime and violence in New York. This needs to stop! Thankfully, we still have exceptional men and women in law enforcement answering the call to protect our streets.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul – Zeldin’s Democratic opponent – said she had been briefed on the incident.
“Relieved to hear that Congressman Zeldin was not injured and that the suspect is in custody,” she tweeted. “I condemn this violent behavior in the strongest terms possible — it has no place in New York.”
Here is video of the attack involving Rep. Zeldin from witness Cody Crippen pic.twitter.com/Ur1CfpkdsS
— Nick Reisman (@NickReisman) July 22, 2022