The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is actively searching for a suspect involved in a violent assault that occurred on the night of Thursday, September 10, 2026. The incident took place along the pedestrian walkway near Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, New York. The victims, identified as a 21-year-old female and a 22-year-old male, were walking together when they were approached by an individual who began shouting racial slurs and anti-Asian rhetoric. According to police reports, the assailant struck the female victim in the back of the head and punched the male victim in the head with an open hand. Shortly after the initial attack, the suspect returned and sprayed an unknown substance onto the back of the male complainant's head. The terrified couple fled toward Hunters Point South Park and sought refuge at Frank Ottomanelli’s By The Water Cafe, where staff members assisted them. Local community leader James Edstrom, president of the Hunters Point Civic Association, recounted seeing a suspicious woman dressed in gray pushing a cart nearby, suggesting she may have been the pursuer. Although police initially described the suspect as an unknown man, the female victim later identified her attacker as an African American woman in an online post, stating the couple was too shaken to provide an accurate description immediately. The victims declined medical attention at the scene. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities seek to identify and apprehend the individual responsible for this hate crime. The public is urged to come forward with any information. Tips can be reported anonymously to the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or 888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish speakers. Tips may also be submitted via the Crime Stoppers website or on X at @NYPDTips. This case adds to a reported increase in hate crimes within the 108th Precinct, which has seen seven incidents so far in 2026, a 40% rise compared to the same period last year.