NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A woman was slashed without warning in a random attack by a homeless man in Brooklyn.

Bandages cover the stitches on her neck and hand – reminders of what police called an unprovoked attack.

“I just screamed,” she told CBS2’s Andrea Grymes.

The 24-year-old teacher was locking up her bicycle around 8 p.m. Thursday on Ninth Street in Gowanus. That’s when police sources say a homeless man approached her.

“I saw him walking, looking at me, walking toward me, but I didn’t think anything of it,” she said.

All of a sudden, she says he came up from behind, put one arm around her shoulders, and with the other, held a piece of glass to her neck, threatening her not to say a word. But she screamed anyway.

“It was a little scary. I just thought, how can I get the attention of people so I can get help?” she said. “He told me to let go. I was like pulling his arms off, because he had a piece of glass on my neck.”

She says once she did let go, he walked away. Someone on the block called police and within minutes, they arrived and caught the suspect, who was walking across the street.

The incident was unnerving not only for the victim but those who work in the area.

“It’s very scary to hear that this happened here,” said Raymond Stewart, who works nearby. “Every day you can see at least nine or 10 homeless people in front of the Smith and Ninth train stop which is right down the street.”

Despite what happened, the Colorado native is in good spirits.

“I think New York is just as safe as anywhere else. You have to be cautions, but it’s not going to make me want to leave or be very frightful of walking around,” she said.

She’s just grateful it wasn’t worse.