Man Assaulted On UES In Possible Hate Crime, Police Say

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A woman tried to rip off a man's face mask and called him an anti-gay slur in a possible hate crime on the Upper East Side, police said Wednesday.

The assault happened around 1:30 p.m. on June 22 while the victim, a 34-year-old man, was walking on Second Avenue near East 90th Street. He was wearing a rainbow-colored face mask, police said.

An unidentified woman approached the man, said "Get that fa--ot sh-t off your neck," and tried to tear the mask off, police said. She then threw her bag at the man and spat on him before fleeing on foot, police said.

Police are investigating the assault as a hate crime. Authorities described the suspect as a light-skinned woman with short hair who was last seen wearing dark clothing, white sandals and a black backpack.

Police asked anyone with information about the incident 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.

Reports of crime are down overall this year in the Upper East Side's 19th Precinct, though some offenses, including physical and sexual assaults, have risen.