Nassau County Police have confirmed that the 34-year-old man assaulted outside of Texas Roadhouse Friday night was an out-of-state utility worker from Florida on Long Island to help repair the mess left behind from Hurricane Sandy.
The Floridian newspaper The Ledger confirmed that the man, John Applewhite, had worked for Lakeland Electric for 12 years and was flown back to Tampa on Saturday for treatment.
According to Nassau County Police, the unknown suspect punched Applewhite in the face after approaching him in the Texas Roadhouse parking lot and then fled the scene in a dark-colored BMW sedan.
The Huffington Post has reported that Applewhite needed a plate in his face and a wire in his jaw due to the severity of the attack.
"There is always a bad apple," Applewhite told The Ledger. "For the most part these people were great and they really treated us with respect."
The Ledger also reported that Applewhite's co-worker was bit on the finger by the suspect after running over to help.
