Suspect sought for punching two women and making racial slurs in Manhattan deli

Manhattan police are searching for a suspect who allegedly punched two women after yelling racial slurs at them inside a Lower East Side deli last month.

According to law enforcement sources, the victims, ages 27 and 28, were inside the sandwich shop located at 81 Rivington St. at around 4:05 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2, when the attack occurred. The women were in line to place their order when the suspect, unknown to both victims, began rattling off remarks about their race and gender.

What the suspect said exactly was not revealed, but police sources confirmed the bigoted suspect made anti-Black and anti-Hispanic slurs at both women.

After spewing the hateful remarks, the suspect then punched both women in the face and fled the shop in a dark-colored SUV before officers from the 7th Precinct arrived. EMS also responded and treated both victims at the scene.

Police on Thursday released surveillance photos of both the perp and his car. The suspect is described as having a medium complexion and build, as well as full facial hair. He was last seen wearing a light blue shirt, dark-colored jeans and black shoes.

The vehicle is a dark-colored SUV with all windows heavily tinted, authorities said.

So far, no arrests have been made, but the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident.

Anyone with information regarding the incident can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential