Elderly Woman Attacked On Upper East Side Subway, Police Say

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A man randomly attacked an elderly woman inside a subway car on the Upper East Side over the weekend, according to police, who shared photos of the suspect on Tuesday.

The mid-afternoon attack unfolded Saturday on an uptown 6 train at the 68th Street-Hunter college stop on Lexington Avenue, police said.

The victim, an 80-year-old woman, was on board the train around 4:30 p.m. when the unidentified man hit her with his hands on her head, back and shoulder, causing her to fall to the ground, police said.

The woman declined medical attention at the scene, while the man later exited the subway system at 59th Street, according to police.

Police shared surveillance images showing the man walking through a subway turnstile. Police described him as 40 to 45 years old, about 6 feet 2 inches tall and 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black shirt, a black-and-red leather jacket, baggy jeans and red and black sneakers, and was carrying a large paper bag.

The same 68th Street station has played host to a number of other unsettling incidents in recent months. In late July, a teenager waiting for a train at the station was robbed at knifepoint by a man who then ordered him to board the next train, police said.

In May, a man accused of threatening to decapitate fellow passengers on board a 6 train got off at the 68th Street station, before later being arrested, according to police. And in March, a man died near the same station when he fell onto the tracks while trying to walk between subway cars, according to police.

Authorities asked anyone with information about Saturday's assault to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). People can also submit tips online or on Twitter, @NYPDTips.