AN NYPD officer check in on riders.
Photo by Dean Moses
NYPD officers cuffed a knife-wielding bigot responsible for an anti-Asian hate crime in the subway system on March 31, according to police sources.
A 43-year-old Asian woman was riding the 1 train Thursday evening when she was approached by a suspect identified as 40-year-old Jorge Hernández on the carriage as it pulled into the 137 Street and City College Station. Hernández allegedly brandished a large knife, placed the weapon in front of her face and threatened her with xenophobic and anti-Asian rhetoric, a source close to the investigation confirmed.
“Why don’t you go back to your country, you immigrant,” Hernández reportedly said before uttering an anti-Asian slur.
The victim was fortunate to make it away unharmed. After receiving a description of the suspect, eagle-eyed NYPD officers spotted Hernández on Broadway and West 137, immediately apprehending him. Arresting officers not only discovered the lengthy knife in his pocket he used to carry out his threats, but they also discovered a smaller knife in his backpack.
According to police, Hernández of 361 Grandview in Staten Island has been arrested in the subway before. He was cuffed multiple times in 2014 for fare evasion and was last in custody in 2015 for petit larceny.
Hernández has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon and hate crime menacing.
Ex-Brit turned Manhattan resident since 2008.