Man, 68, is latest victim of anti-Asian violence during NYC subway assault
Attacker yelling anti-Asian insults leaves man, 68, bloody mess on NYC subway
- WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
- Narayange Bodhi, 68, was attacked on Friday afternoon on 1 Train in Manhattan
- Attacker, a black male, yelled demeaning anti-Asian insults, a witness says
- NYPD is investigating the assault and seeking the well-dressed attacker
- It comes amid demonstrations across the country protesting anti-Asian hate
A 68-year-old man Asian man has been violently assaulted on the New York City subway by an assailant shouting racial insults, in the latest shocking incident of anti-Asian hate.
Narayange Bodhi, originally from Sri Lanka, was commuting to his job as a security guard at 2.40pm on Friday when the attacker viciously punched him on a 1 Train in Lower Manhattan, police and witnesses say.
The assailant randomly attacked Bodhi while shouting ‘You Asian motherf***er!’ according to witness George Okrepkie, who aided the victim until police arrived.
‘I could not believe that somebody would attack a man of that age,’ Okrepkie told WNBC-TV. ‘Before I could even look he was standing on top of him.’
Narayange Bodhi, originally from Sri Lanka, was commuting to his job as a security guard at 2.40pm on Friday when the attacker viciously punched him on a 1 Train in Lower Manhattan
The assailant (seen above) randomly attacked Bodhi while shouting ‘You Asian motherf***er!’ according to witness. Police are seeking help from the public identifying the attacker
Police are seeking the assailant, but the NYPD said on Sunday that they did not yet have evidence that the attack was racially motivated.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force published a call for information about the attacker without calling the incident a hate crime.
The assailant is described as a 6-foot-2 black male with a muscular build, aged around 30 and last seen distinctively dressed in a black fedora, pink hoodie, black leather motorcycle jacket, large chain necklace and light colored pants.
Okerpkie tried to grab the attacker, but said the man escaped out the subway doors as the train came to a stop at the Franklin Street Station in Manhattan.
The Good Samaritan took off his scarf and helped Bodhi use it to stop the bleeding until police arrived.
Bodhi’s family told the NBC affiliate that he has no memory of the attack, and suffered bruising on his face.
A man holds a child on his shoulders at the Rally Against Hate to protest the recent violence aimed at the Asian American community in New York on Sunday
Demonstrators attend the Rally Against Hate to protest the recent violence against the Asian American community at Columbus Park Rally Against Hate in New York on Sunday
It comes amid national outcry over anti-Asian violence, which has skyrocketed in the coronavirus pandemic.
On Sunday, thousands marched in Atlanta, New York and Washington DC, among other cities, following the mass shooting last week at Asian-owned spas in Georgia.
The shooter, Robert Aaron Long, admitted to the murders but denied racial motives, claiming he was a frustrated sex addict who had frequented the spas and wanted to ‘eliminate’ a temptation.
Asian Americans have expressed outrage at the police for refusing to declare the shooting a hate crime, however.
In New York, mayoral candidate and former Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang invited demonstrators to raise their hand if they had seen a spike in anti-Asian racism since the start of the pandemic.
Many activist blame the antagonism toward Asians on former president Donald Trump, who frequently called COVID-19 the ‘China virus’.
Another Asian man, 66, was also punched in the face in an apparent random attack on Saturday morning in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
In that incident, an unknown man believed to be homeless approached the victim, began yelling at him and then struck him in the face with a closed fist.
Anyone with information about the subway assault is urged to contact investigators at 1-800-577-TIPS for a potential $2,500 reward.
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