Detectives need the public’s help in finding a man who punched a man in the head for no reason at a subway station on the Forest Hills/Kew Gardens border last weekend.
The assault occurred at 2:25 p.m. on April 21 at the Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens station, located below Queens Boulevard and Union Turnpike.
According to law enforcement sources, the 35-year-old male victim exited from a Jamaica-bound F train when the perpetrator approached him. Police said the suspect slugged the man in the back of the head with a closed fist, causing him to fall to the ground.
Citing eyewitness accounts, sources familiar with the investigation said it was an unprovoked attack.
Immediately after hitting the ground, police said, the victim said that he couldn’t remember what had happened, but that he had back pain.
Meanwhile, authorities noted, the assailant fled toward the station’s mezzanine and eventually headed out of the station in an unknown direction. Someone at the scene managed to snap a cellphone picture of the perpetrator before he fled.
Officers from the 112th Precinct and EMS units responded to the attack. Paramedics brought the victim to Queens Hospital Center, where he was treated and later released.
Police described the suspect as a black man believed to be 30 years old, who was last seen wearing a yellow shirt, black jeans and black sneakers while carrying a black backpack.
Anyone who knows the assailant’s whereabouts is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA), visit their website or send a text message to 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
