An unhinged man randomly choked a teen girl sitting outside a Queens sushi restaurant, terrifying video released Saturday by cops shows.
The incident unfolded at about 5:15 p.m. Monday at Watawa Sushi on Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, when a disheveled looking man with long hair wearing a white T-shirt, black jacket and jeans walks up behind the 16-year-old and suddenly puts her in a chokehold, according to police and surveillance video.
He releases her, menacingly stands nearby, and ultimately backs off, the video shows. A passerby can been seen trying to intervene.
The victim suffered pain, redness and swelling but was not taken to the hospital, the NYPD said.
Police said the assailant fled.
The NYPD asked anyone with information to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS or send tips to its Crime Stoppers website.