Gay Man Brutally Beaten by Stranger on Manhattan Street in Hate Crime

Authorities in New York City are looking for a suspect after a man was beaten and screamed at in what police say was an antigay hate crime.

On June 12, police say a 21-year-old man was walking along First Avenue in the Upper East Side of Manhattan when a stranger came up to him, Patch reports.

The stranger, who was older, yelled homophobic slurs at the young man and began hitting him. Police said the attack left the 21-year-old with a broken nose, a black eye, and other injuries to his face. The victim made it to a local hospital where he was treated.

New York City Police said that its Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident.

They also said that the stranger who attacked the young man was bald, wearing a black t-shirt, black pants, dark brown boots, and he carried a black backpack.

The stranger seemed to be between 25-40 years old, police said, the New York Daily News reports.

Those with any information about the attack are urged to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

New York City officials announced earlier this month a new initiative that would re-examine druggings, robberies, and murders of LGBTQ+ people in the city, including those from decades ago. It comes after a number of queer men in the city were victims of robberies — not thought to be antigay in nature — and two of whom died after being drugged and robbed.