Hateful robber on Manhattan subway train threatens to call ICE on victim, then beats him: cops

Upper Manhattan detectives are looking for a hateful robber who assaulted a man on a subway train on Sunday morning after threatening to call ICE on him.

According to police sources, the disturbing incident unfolded at around 03:39 a.m. on Aug. 31 aboard a northbound 1 train as it pulled into the 86th Street station on the Upper West Side.

Cops say a man approached a 23-year-old Hispanic straphanger and started a verbal dispute.

Sources with knowledge of the incident reported that the suspect threatened the victim, telling him, “You don’t belong in this country,” before adding, “I’m going to call ICE on you.”

Cops say things escalated when the perpetrator launched an attack, punching the commuter some six times about the head. During the assault, he grabbed the victim’s duffel bag and threw it before snatching his iPhone and fleeing.

While the victim was not able to recover his cellphone, he was able to retrieve his bag, police said. He refused medical treatment.

A description of the suspect was not immediately available. No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents 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.

This comes amid escalating tensions over President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration agenda that has many in the immigrant community fearful of ICE, as well as families detained by federal agents as they attended routine immigration hearings.