New York ( CNN ) -- New York police Thursday were investigating a sucker-punch assault on a 23-year-old man for a possible connection to a series of attacks known as the `` knockout game . '' In the latest assault , the unidentified man was walking on a street in the Bronx on Wednesday afternoon when he was punched in the head and fell to the ground , police said . After he was down , two other men punched him several times before running away . Nothing was taken from the man , and police were looking into a possible link to assaults around the country where teens randomly try to make strangers unconscious with a single blow . The victim suffered bruising and swelling to his face but refused medical treatment . At least eight suspected `` knockout '' attacks have been reported since October in New York , but police have said they see no evidence of a trend . Possible 'knockout ' game victim : 'The whole group of kids laughed ' Authorities have reported similar incidents in New York , New Jersey , Connecticut , Illinois , Missouri and Washington . In New Haven , Connecticut , police said there were seven reported incidents possibly connected to `` knockout '' assaults , but it was unclear if they were carried out by the same person . There were no major injuries in the attacks , which occurred in the same three- to four-block area on November 17-18 . The assaults stopped after police questioned a suspect , though no arrest was made . `` We have no reason to believe this is a hate crime , '' said Officer David Hartman , a New Haven police spokesman . Some previous assaults in the region have targeted Jewish people . Hartman said police believe the attacks were copycat crimes spurred by media attention . Youth violence expert Chuck Williams blamed the media and parents for what he called extreme aggression by America 's youths . Negative attention , he said , is often rewarded . `` That 's America . America loves violence , and so do our kids , '' he said . `` We market violence to our children and we wonder why they 're violent . It 's because we are . '' Williams , a professor of psychology and education at Drexel University in Philadelphia , said some young people are desperate for attention . He called it the `` Miley Cyrus effect , '' where teens will do anything to get noticed , no matter how unconscionable . `` These kids know the consequences , '' he said . `` They want to get arrested . They want to get caught , because they want that notoriety . They know they wo n't go away forever because they 're kids . It 's a win-win all around for them . '' Police keep close eye on reports of disturbing 'knockout ' game .
New York police look into a sucker-punch assault on a 23-year-old man . The victim was punched in the face by two men who were trying to get his wallet and cell phone from him. Similar assaults reported in New York , New Jersey , Connecticut , Illinois , Missouri and Washington .