A 22-year-old was verbally and physically attacked on a New York City subway on March 19.
The New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force has opened a probe into the incident. Video shows an unidentified person yelling anti-gay slurs at the victim assaulting them, according to CNN.
The suspect came into contact with the victim on the A train close to 190th street in Manhattan, where the suspect started acting aggressively toward the victim and spitting on them. Police say the suspect sat close to the victim on the train and said, “I wish I had my pepper spray.” The suspect then said various other slurs before physically attacking the victim by grabbing their hair and hitting them in the face and head numerous times. During the altercation, the suspect also said, “I’m sick of all you f*gs.”
The police hope to identify the suspect through the footage. The victim was taken to a local hospital for cuts to the head; they are in stable condition.
Crimes on the MTA have surged over the last year. During the weekend before Feb. 21, there were at least six stabbings reported on the subway, during the same time that Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul introduced their 17-page public safety initiative, “Safety Subway Plan.”
The plan “will begin addressing public safety concerns and supporting people experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness on New York City’s subways.”
Adams said in a statement, “It is cruel and inhumane to allow unhoused people to live on the subway, and unfair to paying passengers and transit workers who deserve a clean, orderly, and safe environment. The days of turning a blind eye to this growing problem are over.”
