The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating a reported attack at Hunters Point South Park in Long Island City. FOX 5 New York, citing police officials and local business owners, reported that detectives are reviewing surveillance footage, no arrest had been announced, and police had not released a detailed description of the person sought. Anyone with information is being asked to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline.
Investigation status
The reported incident occurred within the 108th Precinct, which covers Long Island City, Sunnyside, and Woodside. The precinct is located at 5-47 50th Avenue in Long Island City, according to the NYPD. FOX 5 reported that reported hate crimes in the precinct had risen 40% from the same period a year earlier, but the supplied material does not include an underlying statistics table or separate confirmation of that figure.
What was reported
The FOX 5 report identified the victims as a 21-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man. The report said they were near Center Boulevard and 51st Avenue at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday when a man approached them and shouted anti-Asian slurs.
FOX 5 reported that the man hit the woman in the back of the head, struck the man’s hand, and sprayed him with an unknown substance. The couple went to Frank Ottomanelli’s for assistance, where staff shielded them and called police, according to the report.
A changing waterfront neighborhood
The incident occurred in an area that continues to undergo residential redevelopment. City records show that the Adams administration issued an RFP to redevelop a previously industrial Hunter’s Point South site in Queens as approximately 900 new homes, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
