The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating a case of antisemitic aggravated harassment that occurred on board an A train in broad daylight in Far Rockaway on the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 1.
A 27-year-old man was riding the northbound A train at 1:30 p.m. approaching the Beach 36th Street station when a stranger in a cowboy hat approached him, made antisemitic statements, and threatened the victim, police said Thursday.
The perpetrator exited the train at Beach 36th Street and fled the station on foot onto Rockaway Freeway, traveling in an unknown direction. Police from the 101st Precinct in Far Rockaway and Transit District 23 responded to the scene and found the victim at the station., He was not injured during the encounter.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect on Thursday and described him as having a medium complexion. He was last seen wearing a pink button-down shirt, dark green shorts, blue sneakers, sunglasses, and a straw cowboy hat.
A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to his arrest and indictment.
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 confidential.
Through Sept. 28, the 101st Precinct has reported two hate crimes so far in 2025, three fewer than the five reported at the same point last year, a decline of 60%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
