Horrifying moment NYC man with 100 previous arrests punches woman, 92, in the face and sends her crashing into a fire hydrant in random attack

This is the moment a man pushes over an elderly woman on a New York street, causing her to fall over and apparently hit her head on a fire hydrant.

Surveillance footage from the incident shows the moment the pair are about to cross paths on 3rd Avenue between 15th Street and 16th Street in Manhattan on Friday at 3.23pm.

The suspect - seen in the footage wearing a purple or blue T-shirt and patterned shorts - then extends his arm to hit the woman.

Cops have since arrested Rashid Brimmage, 31, who has 100 prior arrests. He has been charged with assault. 

A tweet from the NYPD on Tuesday morning said the assault suspect 'pushed a 92-year-old female to the ground causing her to strike her head on a fire hydrant'. 

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Video from the Gramercy Park neighborhood in Manhattan shows the woman topple over (right) after a man pushes her forehead (left)

As the woman - wearing a pink sweater - falls beside the fire hydrant, a shopping cart she is pushing lands on top of her.

After the push the suspect turns around and looks her in the face as he continues walking off. 

The video provided by NYPD then cuts off. It's unclear whether any of the passers-by seen in the clip recorded from the Gramercy Park area came to her aid.

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Cops have since arrested Rashid Brimmage, 31, who has 100 prior arrests. He has been charged with assault 

The elderly woman suffered some injuries and was taken to Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital. She is expected to recover.

She later told ABC in an interview, 'I'm frightened to tears. I'm not going to walk there on my own, and it's very upsetting. It's very upsetting.' 

The woman, a retired teacher, said she was helped by two young women.

Screen grabs from the incident on Sunday at 3.23pm show the man walk by after striking her then the woman falls near the fire hydrant

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The assault suspect then looks back at the woman as she lays on the ground with her cart

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Brimmage is a career criminal, according to police

'I thought it was a brick or something like that,' she said. 

'Hit me on the right scalp, on the right side of my head, and of course I fell down on the street. There were a couple of young women there. They helped me up. '

The woman showed a cut on her arm and bruises on her head after she hit it on the fire hydrant.  

'I've felt very safe in the city, and now, forget it. I'm afraid to go out,' she added.

Police shared footage on Tuesday morning before arresting Brimmage.

Police said he is a career criminal who became a level 2 sex offender after being arrested in 2014 for persistent sexual abuse. 

He was most recently arrested on March 9 for allegedly punching a 29-year-old man at a Harlem pizza shop, according to ABC. 

He also allegedly punched a 39-year-old woman at a Dunkin' Donuts outlet in the Bronx, before punching a 39-year-old man at the same shop.  

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His victim, who does not want to be identified, showed some of her injuries in a TV interview