Police release sketch of suspect in attack on journalist

Police released a sketch Monday of the man wanted in a suspected hate crime assault on a gay journalist in midtown.

According to police, the attacker brutally beat Randy Gener on Jan. 17 at 3 a.m. near Seventh Avenue and West 54th Street. Gener had been walking home from a party, friends and police said.

Police believe the suspect, described as a male in his 20s, punched Gener, 46, in the face, causing him to fall to the ground, and then fled in a gray four-door Nissan with the Mississippi license plate, "KAT397."

Gener was taken to St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital where he underwent brain surgery and is now listed in stable condition according to police.

Several dozen of Gener's friends and colleagues held a candlelight vigil for him at the crime scene Sunday night. They raised more than $30,000 to help cover his medical expenses.