Police search for white man in multi-coloured shirt who emerged from below sidewalks to throw smoke bomb at restaurant

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A man emerged from below New York City’s sidewalks through a subway escape hatch, tossed a smoke bomb into a crowd of diners, then disappeared back into the tubes, according to police.

Police told the Guardian they were asking for the public’s help to identify the man, who is described as white, about 20 years old and with wavy blond hair. The man was last seen wearing black gloves, a black baseball cap and a “multi-colored T-shirt”.

“We were just trying to relax and have a nice dinner, and then there was smoke and a bunch of policemen,” Sara Bond, who was visiting from New Orleans, told NBC 4 New York.

The actor Rose McGowan was at the restaurant at the time.

rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) Someone just threw two red smoke bombs into the restaurant I was eating in. Eyes are burning. #NYCWHAT

No one was hurt in the incident, which happened in the West Village neighborhood on Sixth Avenue, between Houston Street and Bleecker Street on Friday night. Witnesses described the smoke bomb as a resembling a red flare, according to several media outlets. It was thrown into the outdoor seating area of Bar Pitti.