Asian mom, 58, critically injured after she and son, 23, are DRAGGED down NYC subway stairs by thief

Asian mom, 58, is critically injured and has to undergo BRAIN surgery after she and her son, 23, are DRAGGED down the stairs at an NYC subway station by a man who tried to rob them

  • An Asian mother and son were attacked at 10:45am on Saturday
  • They were climbing steps to leave subway when a thief grabbed his backpack
  • The son held his mother as they fell and she tumbled down the stairs with him
  • The son was unscathed but the mother hit her head and required surgery
  • Police have released footage of the suspect, who ran away after the attack
  • The NYPD is also investigating whether the attack was racially motivated 

An Asian woman underwent brain surgery on Saturday after she and her son were dragged down the subway stairs during a bungled robbery in New York City.

The unnamed woman, 58, was with her 23-year-old son on Saturday.

They were walking up the steps at Canal Street station at around 10:45am when an assailant attacked them from behind, grabbing the son’s backpack.

The son grabbed his mother as he fell, and the pair tumbled down the stairs.

He was not seriously hurt, but his mother hit her head and was critically injured.

The thief ran away, and surveillance footage showed a black man in a short-sleeved khaki shirt and white bandana around his neck leaving the station.

New York Police Department have released images showing the man they believe grabbed an Asian man's backpack, causing him and his mother to fall down the stairs on Saturday

New York Police Department have released images showing the man they believe grabbed an Asian man’s backpack, causing him and his mother to fall down the stairs on Saturday

The victims have not been named, but are described as a 58-year-old Asian mother and her son, 23. The son was unharmed in the attack but the mother required surgery from the fall

The victims have not been named, but are described as a 58-year-old Asian mother and her son, 23. The son was unharmed in the attack but the mother required surgery from the fall

The alleged attacker (pictured) left the subway station after the incident and remains on the loose

The alleged attacker (pictured) left the subway station after the incident and remains on the loose

Police are still hunting for him.

They are also investigating whether the attack was racially motivated, the New York Daily News reported. 

Hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise, with unprovoked attacks happening across the United States. 

The number of incidents against Asian Americans reported to the New York Police Department rose from three in 2019 to 28 in 2020. 

Activists and police officials say many additional incidents were not classified as hate crimes or went unreported.

Stop AAPI Hate, an initiative that tracks violence and harassment against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, recorded more than 3,000 reported incidents from the start of the pandemic, said Russell Jeung, one of the group’s leaders and chair of the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University. 

Of those, at least 260 were in New York City. 

Canal Street subway station, in lower Manhattan, where the attack happened on Saturday

Canal Street subway station, in lower Manhattan, where the attack happened on Saturday

In December 2020 an Asian Hate Crime Task Force was formed within the NYPD, to encourage victims to report the attacks. 

Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, said last month that the city was working to increase communication with community leaders, creating a website to help people report and respond to attacks, and focusing subway patrols on possible bias crimes. 

‘If you dare to raise your hand against a member of our Asian communities, you will suffer the consequences,’ he said.

source: dailymail.co.uk