The NYPD released video surveillance of a man who is suspected of attacking an elderly Sikh man in Richmond Hill Sunday morning.
Nirmal Singh, 70, was walking to the Sikh Cultural Society Temple at 6:45 a.m.and was in the vicinity of Lefferts Boulevard and 95th Avenue, when his assailant snuck up from behind him and allegedly sucker-punched him in the face in the unprovoked assault, before running off in an unknown direction, police said.
Following the attack, Singh was found roaming around the Gurdwara with blood on his face and jacket, community leader Japneet Singh told QNS.
Singh, who was wearing traditional Sikh articles of faith, was transported by private means to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was treated for a broken nose, cuts and severe bruising on his face and an injured wrist, and released, according to the NYPD.
The investigation is ongoing by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force. The suspect is described as an adult man with a dark complexion and an average build. He was last seen wearing black sneakers, jeans and a blue hooded sweatshirt.
Nirmal, who is visiting New York for the first time on a tourist visa from Canada, was afraid to report the incident to the police fearing that he would be deported.
“This man was new to our country,” state Senator James Sanders said. “He had only been here for two weeks and this is not the type of welcome we want people to think occurs when they visit our country or community. I condemn this shameful attack, which is being investigated as a hate crime, and hope that the perpetrator is brought to justice.”
Anyone with information in regard to the identity of the suspects is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
