The attacker, who has not yet been publicly identified, punched and kicked the 65-year-old woman shortly before noon on Monday, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD). The incident occurred just outside the doors of 360 West 43rd Street, a building that contains luxury apartments managed by the Brodsky Organization.
On Twitter, the NYPD shared footage that showed the incident from inside the building. The video shows the woman walking on the sidewalk past the building’s doors until the attacker comes into view. The attacker then kicks the woman in her midsection, the force of which causes her to stumble backward and onto the ground. The attacker kicks her multiple times before walking away. According to the NYPD, the attacker made anti-Asian statements during the attack.
The incident lasts for less than 30 seconds. At the video’s conclusion, individuals inside the building can be seen observing the activity before closing the building’s doors as the attacker walks away.
The Brodsky Organization said it suspended the building’s staff members who witnessed the attack but failed to intervene.
“The Brodsky Organization condemns all forms of discrimination, racism, xenophobia and violence against the Asian American community,” the organization’s statement said. “The staff who witnessed the attack have been suspended pending an investigation in conjunction with their union. The Brodsky Organization is also working to identify a third-party delivery vendor present during the incident so that appropriate action can be taken.”
The NYPD released images of the suspected attacker and asked for anyone with information on the attack to contact the department’s tip line at 800-577-TIPS or via direct message on Twitter at @NYPDTips.
Speaking with the New York Post about the incident on Tuesday, the boyfriend of the victim’s daughter described the violence of the attack and said he was “surprised” his girlfriend’s mother was able to get back up after she hit the ground.
“She tried to avoid him, like how people do when you walk in New York City, but he came right for her,” said the boyfriend, whom the paper identified by only his first name, Luca. “After the first hit, she wasn’t even there. I can’t see how she got up from that.”
No arrests had been made as of Tuesday afternoon, the NYPD told Newsweek. The investigation into the attack is ongoing, police added.
The number of anti-Asian attacks in the U.S. has increased since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. According to a report released earlier this month by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University San Bernardino, the number of anti-Asian hate crimes reported in the 16 largest cities in the U.S. increased by 149 percent last year.
The report said the increase began last spring “amidst a rise in COVID cases and negative stereotyping of Asians relating to the pandemic.”
