A 49-year-old homeless man, identified as Marc Okon, has been charged with assault and child endangerment following an alleged unprovoked attack on a baby in a stroller in Manhattan. Police stated that Okon struck the infant with a cellphone and then attempted to throw the device at the child’s mother near Bryant Park on Saturday morning.
According to law enforcement, Okon has a lengthy criminal history with more than two dozen arrests since 2018. His prior charges include forcible touching, public lewdness, menacing, grand larceny, criminal mischief, and petty larceny. He was arrested at least three times in 2025, with his most recent prior arrest in July for public lewdness on the Upper West Side.
Authorities reported that the incident occurred as a 39-year-old mother was pushing her young daughter in a stroller near Sixth Avenue and West 41st Street. Police said Okon approached the stroller, unexpectedly threw a cellphone that struck the baby girl on the arm, and then picked up the phone and hurled it at the mother, who was not hit.
Okon was apprehended at the scene and was awaiting arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court as of Sunday afternoon. This incident follows other recent violent encounters in public spaces, including a stabbing at Penn Station and a fatal assault in the Bronx, both allegedly perpetrated by individuals with prior arrest records.