A brutal and cowardly attack in East Harlem Sunday morning left a wheelchair-bound woman with a cut to the face that took 50 stitches to close in the latest New York face-slashing incident.

The 42-year-old woman, who is not being named by police, was outside a strip mall in on E. 125 St. near Third Ave. at 3:19am when the assault occurred.

The attacker - who was aged between 18 and 25 - ran by, veering quickly to the side to cut her before slowing down sauntering off, NBC reported.

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Suspect: Footage released by police shows the suspect - who is described as an 18-25-year-old male - leaving the 125 St. Subway station before the attack. Police say he did not know the victim and it was a 'random' attack

The video, which has been edited to remove everything but the attacker, shows how he casually leaned to the side while running to cut the woman in what seems like a premeditated attack.

The assault was random, police said: neither victim nor slasher knew each other and there was no altercation beforehand.

Police don't know what weapon was used in the attack.

The woman, who had got out of a bus just before she was slashed, was taken to Lincoln Hospital for treatment, police said.

She is expected to be okay, but the suspect remains on the loose.

He is described as being a black man aged 18-25, wearing white basketball sneakers, a black V-neck T-shirt, and black basketball shorts with a white stripe down the side.

He was recorded leaving the 125 St Subway station, which serves the 4, 5 and 6 lines, just before the assault.

Slash: The video shows the moment (left) the attacker casually slashes the woman across the face as he runs by. He then slows down and saunters off (right). The woman needed 50 stitches but is said to be doing okay

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers in English at 800 577-TIPS, use the Crime Stoppers website, or text their tip - adding TIP577 - to 274637.

This is the latest in a long line of slashings and stabbings that have occurred in New York over the past year - in fact, there were 23 knife attacks in just the past five months, the NY Post reported.

Previous victims included a 71-year-old grandmother, a 16-year-old Chinese exchange student and a 31-year-old man across various boroughs.

According to the NY Post, 'police sources and criminologists' blame copycats, gang initiations and mentally ill homeless people for the unconnected attacks.