Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson, Anthony Chester Sliwa, were attacked by a group of young suspects while walking their dog on Manhattan’s Upper East Side on the night of Oct. 4, according to law enforcement sources and Paterson’s spokesperson.
The incident occurred shortly before 9 P.M. near Second Avenue and East 96th Street. Paterson, 70, who is legally blind, and 20-year-old Sliwa, the son of Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, confronted a trio of young men, possibly teens, climbing a fire escape. After the two warned the group to stop, they were attacked by the suspects as they walked away, The New York Post
reports.Paterson’s spokesperson, Sean Darcy, confirmed that both Paterson and his stepson sustained injuries but were able to fend off the attackers. “They both suffered some injuries but were able to fight off their attackers,” Darcy said, also noting that there had been a previous interaction between Paterson’s stepson and the suspects.
The former governor sustained a head injury, while Sliwa suffered a facial wound. Sources indicated that Sliwa’s injuries were more severe. Both were taken to NY-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center as a precaution, and a police report has been filed. No arrests had been made.
Paterson, who served as governor of New York from 2008 to 2010, is married to Mary Paterson, the ex-wife of Curtis Sliwa. The couple married in 2019, and Sliwa had previously praised Paterson for being an excellent stepfather to Anthony.
Anthony Sliwa has long been involved in his father’s Guardian Angels activities. The Guardian Angels is a volunteer unarmed crime prevention organization founded in 1979, in New York City by Curtis Sliwa. In 2016, Sliwa, then 12, had been patrolling the subway with his father, Curtis, as part of the Guardian Angels, The New York Post reports.
The NYPD is investigating
the incident, and Paterson and his family are recovering from the ordeal, NBC News New York reports. The attack has sparked concerns about safety in the Upper East Side, a typically quiet and affluent neighborhood, especially for public figures like Paterson.RELATED CONTENT: New York Governor Takes Bond Issuance to Task