For the second time in days, an Asian-American person has been attacked in a hate crime stemming from coronavirus fears.
The latest incident occurred Tuesday in midtown Manhattan as the 23-year-old victim was walking near the Empire State Building, according to the NYPD. Another woman, who police say was also in her 20s, walked up to the victim and punched her, making “anti-Asian statements,” according to an incident report. Before walking off, the attacker reportedly said, “Where is your corona mask, you Asian bi***?” The New York Post reports the woman’s jaw was dislocated in the attack.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has condemned the assault, which he says was “motivated by the bigoted notion that an Asian person is more likely to carry or transmit the novel coronavirus.” He continued, “To be clear: There is zero evidence that people of Asian descent bear any additional responsibility for the transmission of the coronavirus.” The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating.
