NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A man accused of assaulting three subway riders after spewing anti-gay comments has been arrested, police said Tuesday.
Jonathan Santos, 33, of the Lower East Side, was arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree hate-crime assault, two counts of second-degree hate-crime aggravated harassment and third degree hate-crime assault Tuesday morning, the NYPD said.
Police said two 19-year-old men were on a Queens-bound E train around 3:30 a.m. on July 31 when Santos approached them and made homophobic comments.
Santos then allegedly punched both of the men in the face several times, according to police. They managed to flee when the train pulled into the Queens Plaza station, the NYPD said.
Santos also punched a 32-year-old woman in the face on the station's mezzanine when she tried to intervene, police said.
The victims suffered pain and swelling to their faces, but refused medical attention, the NYPD said.
Santos' attorney information wasn't immediately available Tuesday.
Security footage showing a man wanted for police questioning in connection to a homophobic attack on an E train early Saturday morning, July 31.NYPD
While overall crime in the city is on the decline, hate crimes in New York City have soared during the coronavirus pandemic — largely fueled by attacks against Asian Americans, NYPD data show.
Hate crimes relating to sexual orientation, however, have also risen this year. There were 47 reported attacks based on sexual orientation through July 2021, up from 12 reported cases by that time last year, according to the NYPD.
