An Asian man riding the subway in Midtown was singled out by a stranger who blamed him for coronavirus and tried to drag him off the train early Sunday, officials said.
The 30-year-old victim was minding his own business on an uptown 4 train approaching the Lexington Ave./59th St. station when a man approached him around 5:30 a.m. shouting, “You’re infected China boy, you need to get off the train.”
The xenophobic assailant then grabbed the man by his right wrist and shoulder and tried to pull him out of his seat, cops said.
The victim was able to resist until his attacker finally gave up and ran off.
The assailant has not been caught but during the encounter the quick thinking victim was able to record video with his cellphone of the suspect fiddling with the surgical mask he was wearing.
Cops released that video hours after the attack and asked the public’s help identifying the suspect and tracking him down.
He is believed to be in his 30’s and was wearing a black jacket.
The victim was uninjured but walked to Montefiore Medical Center to report the incident.
The attack is the latest in a string of violence and hatred toward Asian residents since the outbreak of coronavirus in the city. As of last week, the NYPD has responded to 14 anti-Asian hate crimes motivated by the coronavirus this year. During the same period last year, the NYPD responded to three anti-Asian hate crimes.
