Police in New York are investigating a suspected anti-Asian hate crime after a young couple were attacked in a park in Long Island City, Queens.
The 21-year-old woman and 22-year-old man were walking near the waterfront at about 8.30pm on Thursday 10 September when an unknown man approached them, according to the NYPD.
Investigators said the suspect shouted anti-Asian slurs before attacking the pair. The woman was punched in the back of the head, while the man was struck on the hand and sprayed in the head with an unidentified substance.
The couple fled and took shelter at Frank Ottomanelli’s, a restaurant close to Hunter’s Point South Park, near Center Boulevard and 51st Avenue.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is leading the investigation. Detectives are examining surveillance footage from the area in an effort to identify the attacker.
No arrests have been made and police have not released a detailed description of the suspect.
The incident was reported within the 108th Precinct, where police-recorded hate crimes are said to be 40 per cent higher this year than during the same period in 2025.
Anyone with information is being asked to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline.
