A 20-year-old woman was arrested and charged with a hate crime after a man said she repeatedly punched him on a Manhattan subway car after he glanced at her, authorities and law enforcement sources said.
Police said the incident occurred around 2:10 a.m. Sunday on a southbound L train near the First Avenue and East 14th Street station. According to a criminal complaint, Genesis Gittens was yelling on the train when a 28-year-old man sitting in front of her turned to look. The complaint says Gittens then struck the man multiple times in the face while allegedly sneering, “White boy” and “cracker.” The commuter sustained a bloody nose but declined medical attention at the scene.
Gittens was arrested less than an hour after the reported attack and was charged with third-degree assault as a hate crime, the complaint says. Court records show she pleaded not guilty at her arraignment and was released. Police identified the charges and the details in their complaint, and law enforcement sources provided additional accounts of the confrontation.
Later the same morning, police responded to a second unprovoked assault involving a Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker. Around 9 a.m. Sunday at the 34th Street–Hudson Yards No. 7 train station, authorities said a 35-year-old on-duty cleaner was struck from behind and repeatedly punched in the back of the head. While the worker was on the ground, the assailant—described by sources as wearing all gray, carrying a blue blanket and barefoot—allegedly kicked him. The attacker fled after the incident and had not been apprehended by Monday. The MTA worker refused medical attention at the scene, police said.
The two incidents prompted continued investigation by transit and city police authorities. The criminal complaint in the L-train case cites the verbal remarks and the repeated punches as the basis for the hate-crime allegation. Prosecutors can pursue hate-crime enhancements when offenses are committed because of a victim’s perceived race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or national origin, under New York law.
City transit routes have seen numerous safety concerns in recent years, and attacks on riders and MTA employees have drawn attention from city officials and law enforcement. The NYPD and transit police routinely review surveillance footage and question witnesses when assaults occur on subway property, and charges are brought when investigators find grounds to do so. In this instance, police said they arrested a suspect in the L-train incident within an hour; the individual in the Hudson Yards assault remained at large as of Monday.
Court records indicate Gittens entered a not-guilty plea; further court proceedings will determine whether prosecutors can substantiate the hate-crime charge. The MTA and NYPD declined additional comment pending the ongoing investigations, and authorities asked anyone with information about the Hudson Yards attack to contact detectives.
Both incidents underscore the continuing focus on safety in the transit system and on enforcement of statutes addressing bias-motivated violence. Investigations remain active and officials said they will pursue leads and evidence to support prosecution where warranted.
