Woman's Spine Fractured In Apparent Hate Crime Attack On Queens Subway
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The search is on for a man police say attacked a woman aboard a subway in Queens last month, seriously injuring her in what's being probed as a possible hate crime.
Police say the man approached the 20-year-old victim aboard a Manhattan-bound E train and started hurling slurs regarding her sexual orientation as the subway approached the Forest Hills 71st Avenue station.
As the woman walked away, police say the man followed her from behind and punched her in the back of her head before shoving her to the ground. The victim hit her head as the assailant fled the train in an unknown direction, according to police.
The victim was rushed to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, where she was treated for a spinal fracture.
Police say they're looking for an approximately 5'11", 220 pound black man who's between 50 and 60 years old.
The incident is under investigation by the NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
All calls are strictly confidential.
