The NYPD are investigating a possible hate crime after a transgender woman waiting on a New York City subway platform was pushed on to the tracks on Monday morning.
A man shown in surveillance released on Wednesday is wanted by authorities.
The 28-year old woman, who has not been identified by NYPD, was waiting for a southbound 6 subway train at the Bleeker Street station in Manhattan at approximately 9am on Monday.
The assailant asked the woman “What are you looking at?” while standing nearby on the platform. He then “ran to a garbage pail” and removed a plastic bottle which he threw at her before pushing her onto the tracks, according to an NYPD spokesperson.
Commuters shortly after the incident pulled the woman back onto the platform as the assailant fled the scene. Authorities then took her to Bellevue Hospital where she was treated for lacerations on her chin and bruises on her chin and arm before being released
Homicides involving transgender women of color have been unusually high so far in 2015 with eight confirmed deaths as of last month. The FBI began reporting hate crimes towards transgender women for the first time in December 2014 with organizations like the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Project (NCAVP) calling their numbers “incredibly low”.
The NYPD’s hate crimes task force is currently investigating the case.
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS, submit tips on the Crime Stoppers website, or text 274637 (Crimes) and enter TIP577.
