Sandy MaloneNew York, NY – An elderly Asian woman was attacked in Hell’s Kitchen on Monday morning while several people stood by watching and did nothing to help her.
The incident occurred at about 11:40 a.m. on March 29 in front of a building located at 360 West 43rd Street and was captured on security cameras, WNYW reported.
The surveillance video filmed the moment the 65-year-old woman walked past the glass doors to the building and encountered her attacker.
The video showed the woman stopped suddenly, and a man walked into the video frame toward her from the opposite direction and kicked her in the stomach.
The elderly woman stumbled back and then fell to the sidewalk, the video showed.
And then the security footage showed her attacker stomped on her three times before he casually crossed the street and walked away as if nothing had happened.
The woman was seriously injured and had to be hospitalized, WNYW reported.
Here is a closer look at the suspect. Again, if you have any information please DM @NYPDTips or call them at 800-577-TIPS. All calls are anonymous. pic.twitter.com/wOtMz3IfIG
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) March 30, 2021
While the woman was being attacked, security cameras inside the lobby of the building showed that employees – including at least one security guard – stood and watched as the Asian woman was beaten on the sidewalk.
The video showed they did nothing except watch, and that after the attacker walked away, one of the employees walked over and shut the front door of the building instead of going outside and rendering aid to the woman who was still on the ground.
The security video showed the woman was trying to get to her knees as the man shut the door and walked away as if nothing had happened without offering her any assistance.
The Brodsky Organization is the developer who manages the building that the attack occurred in front of, WNYW reported.
Brodsky put out a statement on the company’s Instagram late Monday night that addressed the “violent assault” captured on video.
“The staff who witnessed the attack have been suspended pending an investigation in conjunction with their union,” the Brodsky Organization posted.
They said they were also working to identify a delivery person who was present during the attack.
Security cameras mounted outside the building captured clear images of the man who attacked the elderly Asian woman.
Police posted the images to social media and asked the public for help identifying the woman’s attacker.
The New York Police Department’s (NYPD) Hate Crimes Task Force was investigating the incident, WNYW reported.
NYPD said there have been 33 hate crimes against Asians in New York City so far this year.
Separately, NYPD is investigating a brutal attack on an Asian man that occurred on a subway train in Brooklyn early Monday morning, WNYW reported.
🚨 WARNING: VIOLENCE/BLOOD 🚨
A person violently beats up and punches an Asian male in the head repeatedly in a Manhattan Bound (J) train at Kosciuszko Street Station, chokes him afterwards until he is unconscious. Be on the lookout for this person! pic.twitter.com/FCrqiPcxFc— Asian Dawn (@AsianDawn4) March 29, 2021
A video of the attack on the Manhattan-bound J-train that was posted to social media showed a black man repeatedly punching an Asian man near the end of the train car.
The Asian man appeared to fight back initially, but then his assailant pummeled him to the ground.
The video showed the man rained down punches on his victim for 30 seconds and then pulled him to his feet in a chokehold.
Only after the Asian man began to lose consciousness did other people on the train start yelling “stop” at the attacker.
The video showed that up until that moment, nobody on the train car did anything to intervene and stood by, in some cases filming on their cell phones, while the victim was brutally beaten right in front of them.
Only after the Asian man lost consciousness did his attacker let go and throw him to the ground.
Then his attacker walked off the train as if nothing had happened at the next stop, WNYW reported.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea has promised to increase patrols and outreach in Asian communities, WNYW reported.
“The next person you target, whether it’s through speech, menacing activity or anything else, walking along a sidewalk or on a train platform, may be a plainclothes New York City police officer. So think twice,” Commissioner Shea warned.
Holly Matkin
