Asian Woman Harassed About Coronavirus In Rego Park: NYPD

REGO PARK, QUEENS — A man harassed an Asian woman about the new coronavirus, then slapped her phone to the ground as she tried to take a photo of him, according to police.

The 36-year-old woman was at Wetherole Street and 66th Avenue midday Sunday when a man hurled expletives at her and gave her the middle finger, police said.

"You're the one who brought the virus here," the man told her, according to the NYPD.

The woman tried to snap a picture of the man, but he slapped the phone out of her hand. It hit the pavement and shattered.

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The NYPD on Monday released surveillance images of the suspect in an effort to identify him.

Instances of anti-Asian discrimination and hate crimes have spiked amid the spread of the new coronavirus, according to the NYC Commission on Human Rights and the NYPD.

That the virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, has led some to scapegoat Asians in general for its spread in the United States — a sentiment that crippled some Asian-owned small businesses even before the first case of the coronavirus was reported in New York City.

The Asian American Federation has since launched a website where residents of the tristate area can report incidents of anti-Asian bias in eight languages.

The NYPD also encourages New Yorkers to report any incidents to police.

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This article originally appeared on the Forest Hills Patch