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J train attack in Brooklyn probed as possible hate crime, cops say

Police are on the hunt for a suspect who they said yelled an anti-Hispanic statement before attacking a man on a J train in Brooklyn last week.

The train was pulling into the Crescent Street station around 5:20 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1 when police said the suspect walked up to the 27-year-old victim and yelled “F—ng Mexican, go back to your country,” before punching him in the nose.

The suspect, described as a man in his 20s, ran off the train when it stopped, police said.

The victim suffered a broken nose and was taken to Interfaith Medical Center for treatment, according to cops.

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident.

New York City has seen an uptick in hate crime investigations in recent months. NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said during an unrelated news conference on Tuesday that there has been a 113 percent spike in hate crimes in 2017, compared with the same time period in 2016.

In an attempt to combat the spate of hate crimes, Gov. Andrew Cuomo established a bias crime hotline in November, just a few days after the presidential election.