Asian Man's Fingertip Bitten Off In Hell's Kitchen Attack: Police

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — An Asian man had his fingertip bitten off and was punched repeatedly in the face by a stranger in Hell's Kitchen on Tuesday, a broad daylight attack being investigated as a hate crime, police said.

The attack happened around 9:50 a.m. near the corner of West 43rd Street and 11th Avenue.

The victim, a 48-year-old man, was approached by a man he did not know, who punched him in the face, police said. The suspect told the man to "Go back to your country," punched him repeatedly in the head and then bit two of his fingers, severing the middle fingertip, police said.

The man fled north along 11th Avenue. The victim was taken to Mount Sinai West hospital, where he was treated for the severed fingertip, cuts to the forehead and swelling to the eye, police said.

Police released surveillance footage showing the suspect, a shirtless man, near the site of the assault.

INFO NEEDED-May18th, 09:50 AM, at W. 43rd St. and 11th Ave, a male Asian, 48, was repeatedly punched in the face by a male who said "go back to your country" and also bit two of the victim's fingers causing the tip of one to be severed.1-800-577-8477 @NYPDDetectives @NYPDMTN pic.twitter.com/oPDAMYRiPu
— NYPD Hate Crimes (@NYPDHateCrimes) May 19, 2021

The incident is the latest in a series of unprovoked attacks against Asian New Yorkers that have rattled the city. Several of those have happened in and around Hell's Kitchen, like the brutal beating of a 65-year-old Filipino woman in March and the hammer attack on a 31-year-old woman earlier this month.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo condemned the latest assault on Tuesday, calling it part of "an alarming, disgusting pattern."

"This needs to end. I want the Asian American community to remember that we stand with them against hate," Cuomo said, adding he had asked the state police hate crimes task force to offer its help to the NYPD.

Police asked anyone with information about Tuesday's assault to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). People can also submit tips online or on Twitter, @NYPDTips.