Man Slaps Straphanger, Tries To Steal Phone In LIC Subway Station

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Police are searching for a man who they say slapped a straphanger and tried to steal his phone on a Long Island City-bound train over the weekend.

On Sunday, Nov. 28th, around 8:50 p.m., a 45-year-old man was holding his cellphone while riding a 7 train.

As the train entered the Queensboro Plaza subway station in Long Island City, another man approached him and grabbed his phone, simultaneously slapping him in the face, police said.

During the attack, however, the assailant dropped the riders cellphone; the rider was able to pick his phone up, while the person who slapped him ran off the train and onto a northbound N train that had just pulled into the station.

The rider's face was hurt during the attack, said police.

NYPD officials released a surveillance photo of the man who tried to rob the straphanger, and said he was last seen wearing a light colored hoodie and black vest.

No arrests have been made and the case remains under investigation, officials said on Tuesday.

Anyone with information about this incident can call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) or submit a tip online or on Twitter.