A 71-year-old man was attacked by a stranger in broad daylight as he got off an MTA bus in Forest Hills last week, police said.
The assault occurred just before 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 9, as the victim was exiting a Q64 bus at the corner of 108th Street and Queens Boulevard when his assailant began arguing with him.
The suspect, according to police, proceeded to spit on him and then struck the victim in the face, causing a laceration under his left eye and bruising to his face. The perpetrator allegedly took off on foot towards the Forest Hills-71st Avenue subway station. The victim was transported to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
Police from the NYPD 112th Precinct in Forest Hills are looking for the suspect. On Tuesday, the NYPD released a surveillance image of him, which shows him coming through the turnstile at the station and heading in an unknown direction.
He is described as being between 30 and 40 years old, with a medium complexion, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, 190 pounds, and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, brown boots, and a gray scarf.
A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
According to the most recent CompStat report, the 112th Precinct has reported 28 assaults so far in 2024 through April 14, 6 more than the 22 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 27.3%.
