Man, 72, beaten by ghoulish group doing Halloween dance

A gang of ghoulish bullies broke into a bizarre Halloween dance in front of a television director on his way to work, then pummeled the senior when he tried to walk around them, police said.

John Sullivan, 72, had just gotten off the train at Sixth Ave. near W. 43rd St. about 2:20 a.m. Monday and was heading to 30 Rockefeller Plaza when nine people in their early 20s suddenly blocked his path.

“They were circling around me, and they were pointing their fingers in my face. They’re dancing, and all of a sudden they’re punching me. They beat the crap out of me,” Sullivan, a technical director for Plaza Productions, an NBCUniversal affiliated company, told the Daily News.

The group made “boo” noises as if they were ghosts, Sullivan recalled.

“The first guy shoved me, then they just started punching,” the New Jersey native told The News. “It went on for about 30 seconds. I didn’t go down. I fought back.”

Sullivan (inset), who decades ago served in the Army Special Forces, tried to block their blows with his briefcase, “but they hit me pretty good,” he said. an ice pack for his bruised face.

The 53-year NBC veteran, who’s worked on shows like “The Tonight Show,” “NBC Nightly News” and “Saturday Night Live,” then continued on to start his 4 a.m. shift.

“They struck my head. I’ve got black eyes, I look like Zorro, like with the mask,” Sullivan said. “They didn’t rob me. I didn’t get stabbed. Luckily, I didn’t lose any teeth or break any bones.”

It was the first time the TV director had been mugged in his five decades of commuting to Manhattan.

“In 53 years, nothing,” Sullivan said. “Maybe I’ll be lucky “I’m like, ‘What are you do- for another 53 years.” ing? What’s going on here?’ and Cops on Tuesday released they didn’t even answer,” he surveillance images and a video said. of some of the suspects

The malevolent mob even- (main photo). tually ran off. When medics ar- Police say they are looking rived, Sullivan declined a trip to for seven men and two women. the hospital, settling instead for