Federal representative Lee Zeldin, a Republican candidate for governor of New York, was the victim of an attack by a man who apparently tried to stab him during an event in the north of the state.
The head of the Republican Party in the state confirmed that the congressman received a small scratch, but was not seriously injured during the attack. The suspect was charged with assault with attempted murder.
“I’m fine. Fortunately, I was able to grab him by the wrist and hold him for a few moments until others helped me subdue him,” Zeldin said in a statement.
A Monroe County Sheriff’s spokesman said the suspect, identified as 43-year-old David Jakubonis, was charged with attempted second-degree assault but was released without bond.
It was not immediately clear if Jakubonis had a lawyer who could speak for him and give his opinion.
Jakubonis is apparently an Army veteran who was in Iraq in 2009 as a medical lab technician.
The incident occurred as Zeldin, who is running against incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul this November, was speaking in front of a group of war veterans in the town of Perinton, outside Rochester.
The attacker went up to the place where the congressman was speaking before dozens of people. A video posted on Twitter shows the two falling to the ground as other people try to intervene. The assailant brandished a pointed metal object, photos taken at the scene show.
The attacker pointed the gun at Zeldin’s neck and told him, “You’re done,” according to sheriff’s spokesman Brendan Hurley.
Jacob Murphy, a spokesman for Zeldin’s office, said Friday that Zeldin sustained a minor scratch during the incident. And that he hadn’t received any recent threats.
New York Republican Party Chairman Nick Langworthy said he had no details about the shooter or the type of weapon involved, but he exchanged text messages with Zeldin while the lawmaker was talking to police.
Langworthy confirmed that Zeldin had “a little scratch.” The official said Alison Esposito, a former New York Police Department deputy inspector and Zeldin’s running mate, was at the scene and was one of the people who helped neutralize the suspect.
Langworthy asked Hochul to assign a security detail to protect Zeldin during his campaign. “This could have been much worse. This really could have ended horribly tonight and this is unacceptable,” she added.
