Aug. 3, 2023 By Bill Parry
An A train rider was pepper-sprayed in his face during a seemingly random attack in broad daylight on board the subway in Ozone Park, and his assailant remains at large, according to the NYPD.
Police from the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park and Transit District 23 are investigating the assault that occurred just just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 2.
A 61-year-old man was riding the Manhattan-bound A train as it approached the Rockaway Boulevard station when a stranger suddenly discharged the pepper spray directly into the man’s face, police said. The attacker ran off the train at the Rockaway Boulevard subway station and was last seen fleeing on Woodhaven Boulevard.
The victim refused medical attention at the crime scene.
The NYPD released a photo of the suspect on Aug. 2 that shows him staring down the rider.
The suspect has a “medium” complexion and was last seen wearing a blue face mask, a gray sweatshirt and a dark baseball cap, according to authorities.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.