Police in Paterson say they're looking for a man who violently attacked two EMTs while responding to a call.

Emergency medical workers from Riverside Fire Station left on Sunday morning to help someone who was having trouble breathing, according to police.

Officials say the EMTS were the ones taken to the hospital after being hit and repeatedly punched, according to police.

The two emergency medical workers were responding to apartments on the 100 block of 16th Avenue, where a man's girlfriend called to say he was having trouble breathing.

"They assessed him and realized that it was not difficulty breathing, that it was more of an emotionally disturbed situation," said Paterson Fire Chief Alex Alicea.

The EMTs secured him on a gurney to take him out of the building, but he asked to be taken off. Police say that's when he assaulted them before running away.

"One has a laceration over his eye with stitches. The other one may possibly have some injured ribs," said Frank Lozada, president of the Paterson Firefighters Association. "They're home recovering. They're a little surprised, pride is hurt a little bit because they would never think something like this would happen to someone that's there to help."

"Our firefighter EMTs, they are here to serve the community while they're out performing their duties, and they should not feel that they are under any sort of threat," said Alicea.

Police say this is being taken very seriously, with major crimes detectives also on the case. The fire department says those EMTs are expected to return to work when they're ready.

Authorities say that because this was a medical call, police did not initially respond. They say the person who did this will likely face at least aggravated assault charges.