The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is investigating a reported assault inside a Midtown subway station Saturday night where a man allegedly assaulted a woman and yelled anti-Asian slurs, according to authorities.
Police said a 37-year-old woman was walking through the station at E 51st Street and Lexington Avenue when an unidentified man approached.
The suspect is accused of striking the woman and yelling anti-Asian slurs at her before walking away, police said.
In additional to hateful slurs, the man said, "You should go back to your country. This is because of you," according to law enforcement sources.
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Police released surveillance images of video of the man exiting through a subway turnstile. They estimate he's between 20 and 30 years old.
The woman was not seriously injured and denied medical attention, police said.
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Saturday's incident is the latest in a surge of anti-Asian violence across the country and in New York City.
That same day, police arrested and charged a man for allegedly menacing an Asian woman in Midtown on Friday evening.