Teenager attacked by man shouting anti-white rhetoric on street corner in Downtown Jamaica: NYPD – QNS

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force has joined the investigation into an assault and robbery of an 18-year-old man in Downtown Jamaica on Tuesday afternoon.

Police from the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica responded to the intersection of 160th Street and Jamaica Avenue, where the victim was attacked by a stranger in broad daylight shortly before 4:30 p.m.

Surveillance video footage showed the suspect chasing the teen as he stared at his cellphone. When he reached the corner, the gunman shouted anti-white remarks at the victim before pushing him to the sidewalk, police said. The attacker then violently ripped the phone from the teen’s hand and ran off west on Jamaica Avenue toward Parson Boulevard.

The victim was apparently a missionary, but an NYPD spokesman could not confirm this. The teenager was not injured in the attack and robbery. No arrests were made and the investigation is ongoing.

The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect on Thursday and described him as having a dark complexion and a large build. He was wearing a blue New York Mets baseball cap and a blue cycling shirt with white shorts and blue sneakers. He also wore black gloves and dark sunglasses and had a silver necklace around his neck.

Anyone with information regarding this hate crime investigation 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 visiting the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.orgor on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages will be kept confidential.

This is the first hate crime of the year reported within the 103rd Precinct, after five cases were already reported by the same time in 2023. As of July 14, the 103rd Precinct has reported 400 assaults so far in 2024, 32 more than the 368 reported by the same time last year, an increase of 8.7%, according to the latest CompStat report.

Robberies in the county are also on the rise, with 226 reported so far in 2024, 44 more than the 182 reported at the same time last year. That represents a 9.2% increase, according to CompStat.