Congressman Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee for New York State Governor, was attacked at a campaign event in Western New York Thursday, according to a statement from his campaign and videos posted to social media.
Mr. Zeldin’s campaign said the man attempted to stab the Congressman. In videos of the incident, the man can be seen slowly approaching Mr. Zeldin (R-Shirley) as he spoke from a makeshift stage on the back of a flatbed truck. The man was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses and holding up his hand — adorned with what appeared to be spiked metal knuckles on two fingers — to the Congressman’s face. The man then grabbed onto Mr. Zeldin’s arm, as four people who came to the aid of the Congressman wrestled him to the ground, bringing Mr. Zeldin down too, the video shows.
The Congressman, whose current district includes the North Fork, was unhurt, his campaign said.
“Far more must be done to make New York safe again,” read part of a statement from Zeldin spokesperson Katie Vincentz, who went on to praise law enforcement.
At the time of the attack, Mr. Zeldin was speaking to the crowd assembled at a “Fire Kathy Hochul” rally in Fairport, N.Y. about residents of the state leaving because they feel unsafe, a familiar rallying cry of his gubernatorial campaign.
“You’re still here,” he said to the crowd. “And this is our last stand for New York.
“There’s only one option,” he said as the man encountered him, interrupting his remarks.
Individuals who restrained the man then tied his arms and legs with zip ties and could be seen removing items from his pocket. It was unclear if the individuals who restrained him were law enforcement, though one man appeared to be displaying a badge and a holstered gun at his hip.
The audience cheered as uniformed officers from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene nine minutes later. The officers could be seen on the video cuffing the man and escorting him into a police car, his shorts falling below his calves. Police in Fairport have not yet issued any details about the attacker and any criminal charges he may face.
Shortly after police left, Mr. Zeldin returned to the stage.
“So as I was saying,” he said to laughs from the crowd.
Fairfield, N.Y. is nine miles east of Rochester and about 20 miles south of Lake Ontario and the Canadian border.