‘A Serious Man’ Star Michael Stuhlbarg Struck With A Rock By Vagrant In Unprovoked New York City Attack

By Alex Vena
Published April 1, 2024, 9:44 p.m. ET

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A Serious Man star Michael Stuhlbarg was attacked on Sunday night (March 31) in New York City. The actor was suddenly hit in the back of his neck with a rock, per Entertainment Weekly.

According to the outlet, the encounter occurred at around 7:45 p.m. last night, while the Dopesick star was walking on the Upper East Side near Central Park. That’s when Xavier Israel, the alleged aggressor, threw a rock at Stuhlbarg, which landed at the back of his neck, leading to an abrasion. This was confirmed to EW by the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Afterward, Stuhlbarg pursued Israel, ultimately chasing him toward the Russian Consulate located on E. 91st Street. Once there, Israel was apprehended by the police, and eventually taken into custody without incident and charged with assault, per the New York Post. Stuhlbarg reportedly refused any medical help.

According to the Post, Israel is 27 years old and homeless, and was arrested for two prior assaults, in addition to robbery, in January 2022.

Decider reached out to Stuhlbarg’s publicist for comment, but did not hear back by time of publication.

The actor is taking on the role of Boris Berezovsky in The Crown creator Peter Morgan‘s Patriots, the Broadway show marking Netflix‘s foray into Broadway as a producer, which starts previews on Monday. Stuhlbarg is starring alongside Will Keen and Luke Thallon, who play Vladimir Putin and Roman Abramovich, respectively, per Variety.

According to Deadline, a representative for the show shared that Stuhlbarg “will perform at tonight’s first preview performance of Patriots on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, as scheduled.”

“As media outlets have reported, the actor was randomly attacked near Central Park last night,” the statement continued. “The entire Patriots company fully supports Mr. Stuhlbarg, who feels fine and is looking forward to performing on stage tonight.”