Man Told To 'Go Back To China' In Harlem Hate Crime: NYPD

HARLEM, NY — A man was assaulted and told to "go back to China" in Harlem last month, police said Sunday, one of a series of anti-Asian assaults that have been reported across the city in recent weeks.

The assault happened shortly after 10 p.m. on Feb. 15, when the victim, a 27-year-old man, was walking in front of Fred Samuel Park — on Malcolm X Boulevard between West 139th and 140th streets.

As the victim walked to his vehicle, another man pushed him. When the victim asked the man why he had pushed him, the man punched him in the face and said, "F*cking Chinese, go back to China," according to a police source.

The victim suffered pain and swelling to his face, while the suspect fled east along West 139th Street, police said. Police released surveillance footage showing the suspect.

Police are investigating the assault as a hate crime. According to the NYPD, hate crimes against Asian-Americans jumped from three in 2019 to 28 last year, although advocates believe many other incidents have gone unreported.

That pattern has continued into this year, including in Harlem: a 61-year-old Filipino man was slashed in the face on the subway in early February, and the manager of an East Harlem Thai restaurant said she was assaulted on the street this month.

Police asked anyone with information about the Feb. 15 assault to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). People can also submit tips online or on Twitter, @NYPDTips.