A 69-year-old man was beaten in broad daylight while riding an MTA bus in the Queensboro Hill section of Flushing last week and his assailant remains at large, according to the NYPD.
Police from the 109th Precinct reported that the victim was on board a northbound Q44 bus in the vicinity of Main Street and Kissena Boulevard just before 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8 when he got into a dispute with a stranger.
The argument escalated into violence when his attacker began to strike the 69-year-old multiple times in his face and head, police said. The suspect fled on foot on Main Street in an unknown direction. The victim sustained injuries to his left eye and ear. EMS responded to the scene and transported him to New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital where he was listed in stable condition.
The NYPD released surveillance video of the suspect in the assault investigation on Tuesday and described him as having a dark complexion, weighing around 200 pounds, with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a dark blue jacket, a light blue shirt, tan pants and braided hair. A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to his arrest.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Through Feb. 11, the 109th Precinct has reported 43 assaults so far in 2024, 3 fewer than the 46 reported at the same point last year, a decrease of 6.5%, according to the most recent CompStat report.