The NYPD is searching for a man who reportedly accused a Filipino nurse of having COVID-19 and attempted to drag him off the train.
The incident occurred on a northbound 4 train to the Lexington Avenue-59th Street subway station around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, the NY Daily News reported.
The suspect went up to the 30-year-old Filipino nurse and allegedly began yelling, “You’re infected, China boy, you need to get off the train.”
The NY Post reported that the suspect said, “Hey Chinaman, you’re infected. You need to move to a different car. I’m going to beat this Chinese n—-r up.”
The attacker then allegedly grabbed the passenger by the shoulders and tried to pull him away from his seat, according to police.
The victim managed to record the man on his phone fidgeting with his face mask before he fled.
The victim did not sustain any injuries, but he did file a report with the Montefiore Medical Center.
The NYPD is asking the public for help in catching the culprit, who is described as a Hispanic man in his 30s, 5-foot-8-inches, about 180 pounds and wore a black jacket.
There has been an uptick in coronavirus-related hate crimes against Asian Americans since the rise of the pandemic. The NYPD has responded to 14 hate crimes against Asians this year alone, compared to three from last year in the same time period.
