Police are looking for a hateful perp who allegedly made an anti-Muslim remark and used an unusual weapon – a can of beans – to attack a female straphanger at an Upper East Side subway station last week.
Law enforcement sources said the suspect was trailing the 22-year-old victim as she was entering the Lexington Avenue/63 Street subway station on the F and C lines at approximately 6 p.m. on April 4 when the incident unfolded.
The perp was holding the high-protein weapon at the time, and threw it in the victim’s direction, narrowly missing her.
After the suspect hurled the beans at the victim, he shouted at her, “f—ing Muslims,” police sources said, and then boarded a train to parts unknown.
NYPD sources said the victim was not injured in the attack, and no arrests have yet been made.
On April 10, police released a photo and video of the suspect, which shows him jumping the turnstile into the station.
According to statewide data, hate crimes in New York increased by 90% between 2020 and 2022. In January, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced more funding for hate crime prevention and proposed an expansion of the list of offenses eligible for prosecution as hate crimes, including sex trafficking, first-degree rape and arson.
Statistics also show a spike in hate crimes since the Hamas-Israel war started on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Since the despicable Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, there has been a disturbing rise in hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers,” Hochul said in January. “In recent years we’ve seen hate-fueled violence targeting Black residents of Buffalo and disturbing harassment of AAPI and LGBTQ+ individuals on the streets of New York City.”
Anyone with any information regarding the April 4 incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish speakers, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
