A Muslim teen girl was attacked while riding the New York City subway to school in what police are investigating as another possible hate crime attack based on the victim's faith.
The 16-year-old was aboard a southbound 5 train approaching Union Square around 9 a.m. Wednesday when a man sat down next to her, according to police. The man told the girl "you’re a terrorist, you don’t belong here," before pulling on her hijab she was wearing.
Another female passenger intervened to help the girl, a police source with direct knowledge of the investigation said. The man ran off and police are still searching for him. No arrests have yet been made, and police are investigating it as a possible hate crime.
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"I’m very sorry for her and her family and everyone in the city. We are going through a challenging time right now," said Detective Mohamed Amen. "But I want to assure her and everyone that the police department is really looking after everyone in the city.”
The NYPD has seen a number of hate crimes since the deadly Hamas terror attacks on Israel earlier in the month. A Jewish woman was attacked on the subway in midtown on Oct. 14. In that incident, the 29-year-old victim was randomly hit in the face by a man in the passageway for the 7 train at the Grand Central-42nd Street station.
When she asked the attacker why he punched her in the face, the suspect said simply it was because "you are Jewish." The man then took off from the station, while the victim suffered minor injuries.
Prior to the Oct. 8 assault on Israelis by Hamas, the NYPD had logged 161 anti-Jewish motivated complaints in 2023. Since the attack, there have been an additional 35 complaints.
Anti-Muslim motivated complaints have also seen an uptick since the attacks, with seven prior to Oct. 8 throughout the year, and five more over the least three weeks.
Burhan Carroll, of the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) in New York, said the organization has been "flooded with calls lately, requests for assistance." The group said it has several first hand accounts of the uptick in Islamophobia.
"People are scared. They’re very frightened just to go about their daily business," said Carroll.
The NYPD says many hate crimes go unreported, but Det. Amen said it is crucial for members of the community to speak up.
"Reporting your crime it’s very important so that we stop these bad people from doing this to someone else," said Amen. "You cross the line, you break the law, it’s on you. Regardless who you are. We will not tolerate that."
The NYPD said it has officers who speak dozens of languages from different backgrounds, adding that anyone with an issue to report can request to speak with someone they may identify with.
