Video shows a man in a baseball cap and black shorts slowly walking towards Zeldin, who was addressing a small audience while on stage in Fairport, a village near the Canadian border. The person then confronts the congressman and the two men get into a tussle. At least three bystanders attempted to get the attacker off Zeldin, according to the footage.
Zeldin grabbed the attacker’s wrist to stop him before others came to assist, Vincentz said.
Zeldin is seen being separated from his assailant shortly after, according to the video.
The attacker is now in law enforcement custody, according to Zeldin. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office could not be immediately reached for comment.
Zeldin will face Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who has a substantial lead in the polls, in the November general elections.
Hochul denounced the attack in a statement on Thursday night. “Relieved to hear that Congressman Zeldin was not injured and that the suspect is in custody,” she said. “I condemn this violent behavior in the strongest terms possible — it has no place in New York.”
