An F train rider was assaulted inside the 169th Street subway station on Hillside Avenue near Homelawn Street in Jamaica Hills last week, and a dreadlocked suspect remains at large, according to the NYPD.
Police from the NYPD 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows and Transit District 20 are looking for the dreadlocked stranger who approached the 37-year-old man while he was waiting on the northbound platform just before 3:30 a.m. on Friday, Apr. 12, and began to argue with him.
The verbal altercation escalated into violence when the assailant punched the victim twice in the face before running off in an unknown direction, police said. The 37-year-old suffered minor injuries to his mouth but refused medical attention at the scene.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect on Thursday and described him as having a dark complexion with a mustache and beard. He was wearing a dark Nike hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, and dark sneakers.
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.
Through Apr. 14, the 107th Precinct has reported 76 assaults this year, 11 more than the 65 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 16.9%. Transit crimes are also on the rise in the 107th Precinct, with 13 reported this year, 2 more than the 11 reported at the same point in 2023, an increase of 18.2%.
