A lunatic punched an 11-year-old girl in a Manhattan park and also hit her 15-year-old classmate who tried to intervene in the Wednesday broad daylight attack, police said.
Before assaulting the pair at about noon, the suspect first screamed at the preteen and her classmates at Stuyvesant Square near the intersection of Perlman Place and East 16th Street, cops said.
The man then sprayed the young girl with water before grabbing her hair and punching her in the face when she tried to fight back, according to police.
He also wrapped his hands around the victim’s neck, cops said.
The 15-year-old boy came to the girl’s aid, but he too was then hit by the suspect, authorities said.
The girl was taken to Mt. Sinai-Beth Israel hospital in stable condition.
The boy suffered minor injuries and was treated on scene by EMS.
Police are still hunting for the assailant.