BROOKLYN (VINnews) — The New York Police Department is searching for a suspect accused of assaulting and robbing a Muslim woman in what authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime at a Brooklyn subway station.

Police said The incident occurred around 10:50 a.m. on March 17 at the Ninth Avenue station in Borough Park. The 20-year-old victim was standing on a northbound platform when a man approached and began harassing her. According to investigators, the suspect made anti-Muslim remarks before allegedly grabbing the woman, shaking her and throwing her to the ground. Authorities said the attacker told the victim, “It’s funny how terrorists can walk around now,” and added, “The mayor can’t help you now,” in an apparent reference to Zohran Mamdani.

The man then took the victim’s cellphone and fled the scene, police said. The woman was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is leading the investigation. Officials have released surveillance images of the suspect, who is described as a man with a light complexion, last seen wearing a black-and-white jacket, dark pants and black shoes.

In a statement, Kathy Hochul condemned the attack, saying, “Targeting, harassing, and assaulting someone because of who they are is an attack on everything we stand for as New Yorkers.”

She added that authorities are investigating the incident and sought to reassure the Muslim community: “To our Muslim neighbors: You belong here. You are valued. And we will continue to fight every day to ensure your safety.”

Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect.

Targeting, harassing, and assaulting someone because of who they are is an attack on everything we stand for as New Yorkers.@NYPDnews is investigating this incident.

To our Muslim neighbors: You belong here. You are valued. And we will continue to fight every day to ensure… https://t.co/Mgmq9LUnmy

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) March 24, 2026

I’m outraged by this hateful, anti-Muslim attack in our city. No one should be targeted with slurs, threats, or violence—ever.

Muslim New Yorkers deserve to move through this city in safety and dignity.

Islamophobia has no place here, and we will not tolerate it. https://t.co/GNTudTvXtB

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 25, 2026

This attack on a young Muslim woman during Ramadan simply because of her faith is unacceptable.

This is abhorrent, and reflective of rising Islamophobia that has no place in our city.

As New Yorkers, we must stand alongside our Muslim communities against hatred. https://t.co/842m0aadSG

— Speaker Julie Menin (@SpeakerMenin) March 25, 2026