LOWER EAST SIDE, Manhattan – A 26-year-old man was punched in the face because he looks like actor Shia LaBeouf.

Police said the bizarre incident happened on the stairwell of the Delancey Street subway station around 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

Mario Licato was on his way to meet friends at Pianos bar nearby when a man in his 20s stopped him and threw a punch, police said.

The man allegedly said “this is because you look like Shia LaBeouf” before knocking him out and running away, according to the NYPD.

A couple found the unconscious victim and called 911. EMTs treated Licato at the scene and he did not require hospitalization. He was left with a bruised left eye.

The art director took the random assault in a light-hearted fashion, spinning his attacker’s motive as flattery.

“I wanna thank the guy who randomly decided he needed to hit me last night,” Licato wrote in an Instagram post. “Well sir you boosted my self-esteem bc he’s p hot.”

View this post on Instagram

I wanna thank the guy who randomly decided he needed to hit me last night. "this happened bc you look exactly like Shia labeouf". Well sir you boosted my self esteem bc he's p hot. ✌🏻️

A post shared by Mario Licato (@mariolicato) on Apr 24, 2016 at 7:28pm PDT

In an interview with the Gothamist, Licato continued to poke fun at the man who ruined his Saturday night plans.

“I wanna know what Shia LaBeouf did to him. What did Shia LaBeouf do to him that he punched somebody that looks like him? He must have did something so mean. Did he steal his girlfriend? Did he just see his last performance art piece?”

Anyone with information regarding the attack is advised to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.