Man Arrested After Beating, Spitting on Elderly Korean Woman in NY

The assault occurred outside Nordstrom at the Westchester Mall in White Plains at around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to ABC7’s CeFaan Kim.

Nancy Toh was walking outside collecting cans and bottles for money when the suspect, Glenmore Nembherd, a homeless man with a violent history, came up to her and spit in her face. The suspect then punched her in the nose after she closed her eyes.

Toh was knocked unconscious as she fell to the ground and hit her head. A bystander came up to help the woman. Toh was covered in her own blood and was in a lot of pain when she regained her consciousness.

“Bleeding lots from the brain. Looks like pumping out,” Toh said speaking in Korean.

It took Toh a day before she told the police about the assault. She also refused medical assistance as she could not afford the bills.

Toh’s daughter, Linda Toh, said she now feels afraid after the attack.

“I didn’t think it was so close to home,” Linda Toh said. “And now I’m afraid to go out and my kid is afraid to go out.”

Authorities arrested Nembherd on Thursday. He is being charged with felony assault for intending to cause injury to a person 65 or older.

“An incident like this – we throw all our resources at it,” said White Plains Police Department Capt. James Spencer. “This was a very disturbing and serious incident that occurred in a safe city. And it’s one that we won’t tolerate.”

Authorities are investigating if the attack was racially motivated.

Anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. To combat the rising cases, New York City has installed 200 additional surveillance cameras to boost its efforts to help the community feel safer.

Feature Image via @CeFaanKim